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Spurs Gut Reaction Rant: Draw at Leicester

By Alexander Balano

Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli (20) plays the ball while defended by MLS All Stars defender Drew Moor (3) of the Colorado Rapids during the second half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. MLS All Stars defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli (20) plays the ball while defended by MLS All Stars defender Drew Moor (3) of the Colorado Rapids during the second half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. MLS All Stars defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Spurs score late, concede a minute later, draw 1-1.

View image | gettyimages.com

Before the match started, Spurs would be without their creative playmaker in Christian Eriksen, due to a knee injury. His loss made a tough game become even harder. A 1-1 draw isn’t bad, it’s just not the result that Spurs wanted.

Spurs’ strength in starting games fast didn’t happen today as a result of their current lineup. With Mousa Dembélé as the number ten leading up to the game, Érik Lamela occupied this position once the game got underway, resulting in a more defensive first half for Spurs. It could be seen as Tottenham trying to find their bearings with Lamela returning to the lineup and playing in Eriksen’s position.

With a new formation to learn, the 4-3-1-2, there will be growing pains early in the season. It’s unknown if this will be Pochettino’s favored formation moving forward, but it’s been used in two out of three games now which could be a tactical shift of sorts.

To see the first half end 0-0 was good, because Leicester had the advantage early.

RELATED: Matchday: Leicester City v Tottenham

Once the second half got underway Spurs took the initiative and were putting the pressure on the Foxes with multiple chances. But like the first half, Spurs continued to shoot from long distance instead of getting more teammates involved.

Again, losing Eriksen for this match played a part as they lost a player who could add another dimension to the offense. Chadli, Dembélé and Lamela can’t do that.

For Nacer Chadli, he’s playing alongside Harry Kane as strikers so their jobs are to get service, not the other way around. Mousa Dembélé is also excused because he roams around the midfield, for the entire game, until he’s able to win the ball back and start the counter attack. So ultimately, the creativity falls on Érik Lamela and for his first game back as a starter it wasn’t good — or bad — it was okay overall.

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Lamela can always do better, that’s apparent, but he needs more starts first instead of substitution appearances. While Dele Alli got the opening goal at the 81′ after coming on as a sub for Érik Lamela, Spurs defense cost them three points.

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A great long ball from the backline found Riyad Mahrez, and he deserves a lot of credit to equalize a minute later. But it seems that Spurs’ downfall in allowing teams to come back and level the game is a total defensive lapse. It happened against Stoke and has carried through today against Leicester.

Trying to pinpoint exactly why Spurs can’t put in a full ninety minutes of good football is hard to do. The only way to sum it up is, the Premier League is competitive from top to bottom so there are no easy wins.

To earn a 1-1 draw against an in-form Leicester City is still a positive result after factoring in Christian Eriksen’s injury, Érik Lamela starting and playing in the number ten and Harry Kane being a marked man this season.

The game should have ended in a Spurs win but given how Leicester’s been playing this season, it shouldn’t have been surprising to see them score a goal. It was only a matter of time; equalizing a minute after Dele Alli scored wasn’t expected.

Three games into the season, Spurs own an unsightly 0W-2D-1L record. Two points out of a possible nine is not good. Spurs could have easily been undefeated at 3-0-0, but they’re not. In any event, Spurs need to start producing quickly or they’ll finish outside the top seven or worse — the top ten in quite a while.

Next: Matchday: Leicester City v Tottenham

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