Where Do Sigurdsson And Carroll Fit In Between Now And May?

In the aftermath of a victory like that which Tottenham Hotspur picked up on Monday night against West Ham, it can be easy to ride the euphoria and ignore any deficiencies that were evident in the side throughout the match. In this case it is fine to do so, as every player Spurs fielded was unequivocally brilliant, with a brilliant team performances capped off by a brilliant brilliant brilliant goal that was brilliantly celebrated.

But speaking metaphorically, it could have been the case that the side demonstrated worrying frailties, both in front of goal and in the centre of the park. In this situation there might have even been a huge amount of frustration with certain players up until the late turnaround, and how Spurs use their squad in upcoming matches to address those issues might be key to nabbing that elusive Champions League spot.

Two players in particular impressed from the bench against West Ham, with Gylfi Sigurdsson finally scoring the important goal he has threatened on several occasions in the league, and Tom Carroll looking sharp in the centre of the park, even if his "assist" was rather made by Gareth Bale's extraordinary finish. With certain first regulars looking jaded and a little out of form, will Sigurdsson and Carroll play a bigger role in the rest of the season?

The midfield pairing of Scott Parker and Mousa Dembele has come under the spotlight in particular, with neither man providing a huge amount of creativity. Parker has yet to come close to the form he demonstrated for long stretches last season, and playing with the Englishman rather than Sandro seems to have placed limitations on Dembele's game.

Tom Carroll could be used more by Andre Villas-Boas to try and counter this. While young and inexperienced, Carroll's passing game naturally creates space for Spurs going forward. In a similar manner to Lewis Holtby, Carroll is happy to move the ball on in one or two touches, ensuring that the opposition can't settle in defence. Sigurdsson can also provide this kind of passing and movement in the final third, but the Icelandic player has another great attribute that Spurs could benefit from in the next few weeks.

Despite the fact that Sigurdsson netted his first league goal last night, he has come close on several occasions to having a similar impact in other matches. As he demonstrated last season, Sigurdsson can score goals regularly from midfield, and either starting or coming off the bench he adds a threat that is often lacking in the current side. Sigurdsson is also an excellent corner taker, which could improve an aspect to Spurs' game that is generally poor.

Andre Villas-Boas has been canny in rotating his defenders throughout the season to ensure that he has plenty of fresh, but also match fit, players to call on in that area. However he has been reluctant to do the same in the midfield, with Spurs heavily reliant on certain players. While this has been the right decision given the form of the likes of Dembele, Aaron Lennon and Bale, there are now issues in the team that might be addressed by playing Sigurdsson, Carroll and even Jake Livermore more regularly, with those players perhaps now showing they are ready to pick up the slack in the side.

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Comments

[Gerboy]

I would like to see Sigurdsson play inplace of Holtby, and Carroll in place of Parker.
Parker is not the same player since coming back from injury, and Holtby does not seem up with the pace of plaing in the premiership yet.
What has happened to Lennon ,he cant centre a ball to save his life at the moment. AVB should give him some practice on how to centre a ball.

[Andy B]

Lloris

Walker Dawson Vertonghen BAE

Dembele Carroll

Holtby Bale Sigurdsson

Defoe

[spurs_nep]

Bring Siggy in the first team. He seems to have good tandem partnership with Bale with odd accurate shots( usually on target). Its time to get rid of adebayor coz' of following reasons.
Are we scoring from crosses nowadays ( esp. tap ins) ? A big NO
Are we scoring from headers from our strikers? Again a big NO.
So what is the use of adebayor in the team? One might have a case that adebayor creates spaces for other players esp for bale but Siggy also do that thing which we have been able to see in few games. This doesnt mean i am big fan of Siggy I have noticed that if its not Siggy;s day then he is useless but most of the other time he is valuable because he gets himself involved in the play with his good touch and vision unlike adebayor whose first touch is worst among top level strikers.
So what i mean to say is why not start Siggy as our false 9 forward and help create spaces for bale . And if he also gets chance then take his shot on because our formation nowadays have always relied on goals from just outside or just inside the penalty area line. Siggy is good in these type of situation unlike adebayor who is good in tap ins and headers( remember we donot usually cross the ball nowadys)
I have also noticed lennon is mostly out of game nowadays . Pls AVB solve his problem. or let other player like dempsey play in his position. Dempsey is also usually of game but what he offers is Goals , physicality and aggression .
And pls remove walker from corner taking duties. He is pathetic . Let Siggy do it . He is good. And why do we seem to not have any plans in corner taking . We get a lot of corners in average to other team. Come on AVB make spurs score from corner as well.
And Parker is slow . Parker is only good when we defending or against top teams when game is open. But aganist teams who park the bus , he is clueless and slow . At that time i believe its good to bring either Caroll or holtby in the creative midfield area and let dembele be in DM position. We miss Sandro.