Mousa Dembele

[Aboutreika18]

It has to be said it was a masterstroke by Jol to convert him into a CM.

As a winger/forward I remember him being very frustrating to watch, capable of flashes of brilliance but too inconsistent. Moving him into central midfield has allowed him to showcase his ball retention skills more often and his ability to hold off other midfield opponents and feed the likes of Eriksen and Alli helps Spurs immensely in their buildup play.

His ability to beat players in central midfield reminds me a lot of the role Fergie gave Giggs when he was deployed in the middle, like that 3-0 win over Chelsea.

 

[Mickfoley]

Rumors he's on his way to China this summer. Still 31 and at his peak. I'll admit I'm quite a fan. Would love him here.

 

[BarcaSpurs]

Yeah ive heard murmurings of him being off, was never really sure what sort of club he'd go to because at times he's good enough to play for an elite team but he's getting on and has chronic injuries. Would be a shame to see him leave but we really need to invest in a new CM anyway and I feel we'd be quite complacent about it normally, if he leaves i guess at least it forces the club to take action in the market.

 

[LilyWhiteSpur]

Rumors he's on his way to China this summer. Still 31 and at his peak. I'll admit I'm quite a fan. Would love him here.

His fitness is a major issue for him playing week in week out in the PL, it's been tough for him and I'm not sure just how in love with the game anymore, he has said a couple of times that once his career is over as a player he wants out of football altogether. Hope he stays another season at least with us though as when he is on his game he is very hard to handle.

 

[DRM]

Why does he get so angry when fouled? Even the slightest of touch on him and he goes bezerk, really annoys me. I'm glad he messed up for the 1st goal, the stupid petulant prick

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Got bullied by Pogba for our first goal.

 

[Adisa]

There are reports he's available this summer.

 

[Swift Football]

He is good with the ball, and can go past players but at a position he plays, I will rather have him pass safely. His obvious weakness is passing, i have seen too many times, he choose to go past player rather than just to make a simple pass. Also, he tends to foul needlessly. I will rather have Wanyama or Eriksen than him.

@LASpurs @Yagami
Context: Dembele's error leading to Sanchez goal
Thats what I was saying about Dembele that he chooses to run with the ball forward rather than release the ball with one touch. That is a big weakness for him especially because he plays in the middle and he plays close to his defenders. I am not saying he is a bad midfielder, in fact he has excellent season but just pointing out why I do not count him as top midflelder.

His skillsets are more suitable to play in advanced positions, not surprising cuz thats where he has played a lot in his younger days. But he lacks the awareness that a top midfielder has.

 

[borrays]

Average player who only look better bcause he has another defensive midfielder alongside of him. Schneiderlin mk. 2. I hope we stay away from him.

 

[PvsNP]

Not the midfielder we need. The only thing he's great at is retaining possession.

 

[pocco]

Average player who only look better bcause he has another defensive midfielder alongside of him. Schneiderlin mk. 2. I hope we stay away from him.

He's dominated our midfield for years, you must have been waiting a long time to come out with this. He's been great the last few years but largely wasted at Spurs.

 

[Canagel]

He is very good at shielding the ball but his range of passing for a CM is actually poor. Tends to hold on to the ball for longer than required sometimes but I still think he's quality.

 

[dbs235]

Got bullied by Pogba for our first goal.

Anyone would do well to out-muscle Pogba.

 

[borrays]

He's dominated our midfield for years, you must have been waiting a long time to come out with this. He's been great the last few years but largely wasted at Spurs.

Means zilch. We got dominated by feckin Marouane Fellaini for years but look how it turns out after he joined us. we should be focussing on whether he could play in our system or not as at United he wont have privilege to play alongside tenacious DMs like he had at Spurs (Dier, Wanyama)
And he is what? 29 years old? Nah we've had enough senior players in midfield, it's time to add some young blood.

 

[Blind]

Utterly bizarre to compare him to Schneiderlin, he's an average, slow water carrier with no ability to carry the ball, Dembele glides past players and dominates midfield when he's playing well. If it wasn't for the injury issues he'd be a fantastic signing, Spurs will find it tough getting a replacement if he does leave in the summer.

 

[James Peril]

Average player who only look better bcause he has another defensive midfielder alongside of him. Schneiderlin mk. 2. I hope we stay away from him.

If this is really what you see on the pitch, nobody should ever take you seriously again when it comes to understanding football. Schneiderlin played for lowly Southampton, Dembele is starring for Spurs and Belgium - two different worlds. His ability to chase the ball and drive it forward, shield the ball and battle off players is top notch. Only Pogba has his ability to shield and protect the ball in the middle. Dembele was truly awful on Saturday, for some reason, but usually he is very, very good.

 

[charlenefan]

Dembele is great at shielding the ball and carrying it up the pitch the problem with him has always been what comes next because in terms of passing he's quite limited and his goal return is obviously extremely poor

I really wanted him when he left Fulham but I can see why Fergie passed

 

[B20]

He's basically a better version of Wijnaldum.

 

[charlenefan]

He's basically a better version of Wijnaldum.

The latter is a far greater goal threat though so swings and roundabouts

 

[YouOnlyLiveTwice]

He has some concentration issues at times. Whenever i watch tottenham he is prone to get caught on the ball a few times. At his best he is a great midfielder though. Shame about the injuries.

 

[James Peril]

Dembele is great at shielding the ball and carrying it up the pitch the problem with him has always been what comes next because in terms of passing he's quite limited and his goal return is obviously extremely poor

I really wanted him when he left Fulham but I can see why Fergie passed

Dembele is a defensive, controlling midfielder though - he is not really supposed to score the goals. Tottenham have four attacking players in every game, Dembele controls what's going on behind them.

 

[haram]

He's basically a better version of Wijnaldum.

Every CM is a better version of Wijnaldum.

 

[sunama]

Why does he get so angry when fouled? Even the slightest of touch on him and he goes bezerk, really annoys me. I'm glad he messed up for the 1st goal, the stupid petulant prick

It's a tactic.
If you brush past someone and they go beserk, next time you will do everything you can, to not make even the slightest contact, out of fear.

Personally though, when I see someone go beserk, I repeat the action that made them go beserk until they get carded.
The worst kind of player to play against is one who doesn't respond in any way, to continual fouls on him. You begin to feel that you fighting a machine.

 

[sunama]

...Dembele controls what's going on behind them.

Yeah, he didn't control much behind him, on Saturday.
Also, was he playing against MCFC the previous week? Because nobody controlled them, either.

 

[charlenefan]

Dembele is a defensive, controlling midfielder though - he is not really supposed to score the goals. Tottenham have four attacking players in every game, Dembele controls what's going on behind them.

So is Matic but he still contributes 2 or 3 a season

Fact is Dembele is very good at 1 or 2 things but very limited beyond that

 

[B20]

The latter is a far greater goal threat though so swings and roundabouts

Neither of them have much goal threat.

They are both midfielders that put in a decent shift whom you can comfortably pass the ball to under pressure and they will retain it and pick a decent forward pass. both lack real penetration in their passing and shooting despite their obvious technical qualities.

 

[charlenefan]

Neither of them have much goal threat.

They are both midfielders that put in a decent shift whom you can comfortably pass the ball to under pressure and they will retain it and pick a decent forward pass. both lack real penetration in their passing and shooting despite their obvious technical qualities.

Whilst that is true Dembele has 17 goals in 9 seasons in England, Wijnaldum on the other hand also has 17 goals but in 3 season in England so like I said the latter is a far greater goal threat even if neither are prolific

 

[DWelbz19]

Why does he get so angry when fouled? Even the slightest of touch on him and he goes bezerk, really annoys me. I'm glad he messed up for the 1st goal, the stupid petulant prick

His hip - or his knee - is basically gone. He's one relatively big injury away from being done forever. Since then he's gone all tetchy under fouls.

 

[Yagami]

@LASpurs @Yagami
Context: Dembele's error leading to Sanchez goal
Thats what I was saying about Dembele that he chooses to run with the ball forward rather than release the ball with one touch. That is a big weakness for him especially because he plays in the middle and he plays close to his defenders. I am not saying he is a bad midfielder, in fact he has excellent season but just pointing out why I do not count him as top midflelder.

His skillsets are more suitable to play in advanced positions, not surprising cuz thats where he has played a lot in his younger days. But he lacks the awareness that a top midfielder has.

I see what you mean, and I see why you're not a fan of his style in said position, but I don't mind because he is so good at dribbling and shielding the ball under pressure that, 9 times out of 10, it's the better option for him because his passing isn't that good. Yeah, it ended up costing them yesterday but, more often than not, it works for him. I can definitely understand why you're not a fan of him doing this, though.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Had a pretty poor game against us, but lets not go on like he's not a top player. Technical ability, coupled with hard work. Joy to watch when he's on his game.

 

[borrays]

If this is really what you see on the pitch, nobody should ever take you seriously again when it comes to understanding football. Schneiderlin played for lowly Southampton, Dembele is starring for Spurs and Belgium - two different worlds. His ability to chase the ball and drive it forward, shield the ball and battle off players is top notch. Only Pogba has his ability to shield and protect the ball in the middle. Dembele was truly awful on Saturday, for some reason, but usually he is very, very good.

Why are so you so touchy about player from rival club? I was making comparrison with Schneiderlin bcause Dembele always plays with another DM (Dier, Wanyama) alongside him just like Schneiderlin at Southampton. Take that you'll see he'll struggle a lot in midfield. funny thing is whenever Spurs were losing he must be one of players who get subbed off. So much for a footballer with controlling ability.