Matchday: Tottenham v Everton – Updated

Tottenham welcome Everton to White Hart Lane Saturday in hopes that they’ll make easy prey. After two draws and no wins out of their first three games, Spurs will be desperate to get the full three points out of this game.

Everton might find it difficult to prevent Tottenham from doing just that. Many of their first team regulars played for much or all of the Blues’ extra time 5-3 win over League One side Barnsley on Wednesday night. Their exhaustion might suit Mauricio Pochettino and his Spurs team just fine.

It won’t be as easy as all of that, of course. Tottenham have made a habit of making games difficult for themselves, and even tired Everton can prove a real threat on the counterattack. Eric Dier will be given the game of his young career at defensive midfield while Harry Kane will be anxious to get his first goal of the season.

Let’s take a look at the lineups from both teams.

Tottenham:

Everton:

Bit of a surprise in Tottenham’s lineup that both Nabil Bentaleb AND Ryan Mason are included. Should we expect a 4-3-3 or will Mason perhaps play in a more forward role similar to Christian Eriksen’s? Also, Danny Rose is back! And Alex Pritchard’s on the bench! No Dele Alli however. Unfortunate.

Everton are about as expected but for the inclusion of leftback Bryan Oviedo. Dier and Bentaleb will likely both sit deep to contain the Lukaku/Barkley/Koné trifecta attack.

We’ll be back at halftime hopefully overflowing with praise for Tottenham’s dominance of the first half.

Next: Halftime Reaction

Halftime Reaction

View image | gettyimages.com

Let’s be generous and say that the good outweighed the bad in that half. Eric Dier is making a great case for keeping him in midfield going forward – though admittedly his tackle that took Tom Cleverely out of the game toward the end of the half was maybe a bit too full-bodied.

But for Kyle Walker’s mistake that led to Cleverely’s shot on goal earlier in the half, the defense has been very solid. Danny Rose continues to improve his defending and Vertoghen has done well to stay in the game.

It’s possible that – for the first time ever – Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembélé are the best players on the pitch. The Belgian pair have been seemingly everywhere on the pitch, dropping deep to retrive the ball out of possession and doing well to get the ball back into dangerous areas. Chadli in particular has dominated Everton’s defensive flanks. He’s bound for something if he can keep that up in the second half.

More from Hotspur HQ

• Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
• Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
• Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
• Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
• Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help

The bad? Harry Kane is short on confidence. The excellent ball over the top that sent him one-on-one with Tim Howard should have been a goal. He took one – two, three maybe? – too many touches and the ball ricocheted off of Howard’s leg.

Ryan Mason should be kept in deeper midfield. It’s easy to see how his many qualities going forward would make Pochettino think he’d be even better in an attacking midfield role. He’s not. A couple good chances and passes don’t outweight his general lack of influence in the number 10 role. Keep him alongside Dier in midfield.

POPULAR: Rose’s Return Will Double Tottenham’s Attack

Everton have been surprisingly virile considering their efforts midweek. They’ve done well in possession and actually edged Tottenham out in the first half in time on the ball. Otherwise, though, they’re not doing much. Cleverley’s shot notwithstanding, their attack has failed to trouble Tottenham’s back four all that much. Mirallas’ introduction for Cleverley might make them a bit more potent however.

For Tottenham the key to the second half is remaining strong in the back and keeping Everton busy out wide. Mason maybe gets fifteen more minutes on the pitch before Dele Alli or Alex Pritchard get a chance.

Next: Fulltime

Fulltime

View image | gettyimages.com

More of the same on multiple levels.

Tottenham’s defense held strong again the in the second half, and Tottenham’s offense remained uneven for the entire 90 minutes. They outshot Everton 20 to 7 per WhoScored but couldn’t find a way around Tim Howard, who had an excellent game.

There could have been far more chances on goal for Tottenham were it not for the general indecisiveness of some players and Kane’s continued inability to conjure any of last season’s magic. Chadli was massive on the wings though, perhaps spurred on by both Hueng-Min Son and Clinton Njie breathing down his neck.

The Top Flight

Eric Dier added several impressive lines to his CV. Not sure if it means Spurs won’t still pursue a defensive midfielder before Tuesday, but it seems far less likely than it was just this morning. Dier’s game was helped by the presence of Bentaleb alongside him. There might be something in playing two holding mids.

Everton, to their credit, played some good defense and had much more possession than would have been expected. They were solid opponents and a draw feels fair.

All that being said, another point does little to alleviate the pressure heaping on Pochettino’s shoulders. Four games without a win is not the record anyone expected ahead of this season.

More to come on Hotspur HQ as we try once again to make sense of a misfiring Tottenham squad.

Next: Pochettino Errors are 'Killing' Tottenham