Tottenham Centre-backs Discuss Lukaku Threat

Sunday’s trip to Everton poses a unique challenge to Tottenham’s centre-back pair in the form of striker Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian is tied with Jamie Vardy for the most goals in the Premier League with fifteen goals in the first half of the season, six of which have come since the beginning of December. Tottenham’s defense will need to be in peak condition in order to blunt Lukaku’s influence.

Tottenham have some recent history with dealing with streaking strikers. Monday’s match against Watford forced Mauricio Pochettino to push Eric Dier back from midfield and into central defense in an effort to crowd out the Hornet’s on-fire striking pair of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo. Even those extraordinary methods were not enough: Ighalo leveled the game just before half time and stayed a threat up until Heung-min Son’s winner for Tottenham in the 90th minute.

So how can Tottenham hope to contain Lukaku on Sunday?

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Thankfully, Tottenham’s centre-back pair have something of an unfair advantage thanks to their shared Belgian heritage. Sharing the same pitch with Lukaku during international breaks has provided both of Tottenham’s star defenders with some unique insights, though that doesn’t mean they underestimate the test that awaits them at Goodison.

“He loves scoring goals and he’ll do everything to score goals right until the last minute,” Vertonghen told Tottenham’s official website. “If they are 3-0 up or 3-0 down, he will go for goal time and time again. We will have to be focused, all 11 of us, to stop him.”

Even Alderweireld, arguably the most important improvements Tottenham made in the summer off-season, knows there’s plenty to fear from the big Everton man.

“He’s strong, he’s quick, he’s clinical,” Alderweireld said in the same interview. “He can shoot with left and right so there’s a lot of things he can do, it’s not only strength, he does a lot of things so he’s difficult to defend against.”

That’s not some flattering, baseless assessment. Among Lukaku’s biggest strengths is his ability to be lethal from just about any angle you can think of. While seven of his goals have come from his left foot, he’s also scored four each with his right foot and head. Some strikers telegraph how they plan to score before the first whistle is even blown. With Lukaku, however, it’s particularly difficult to predict where he’ll find a shot on target.

Lukaku’s efforts to find those angles are made easier by the fact that, in attack, Everton essentially field two and a half additional players who are also acting as forwards.

Arouna Koné might play on the wing for the Blues this season, but he’s spent the bulk of his career at center forward.

Playing just behind Lukaku is Ross Barkley, a player who is as known for his midfield play as he occasionally wondrous goals. Everton fans have often bemoaned the fact that the young Englishman isn’t trying for a more active playmaking role, but in truth his direct approach serves to overload the center of opposition defenses and open up room for Lukaku to move.

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Finally, there’s the return of Gerard Deulofeu. The Barcelona product isn’t much for strikes of his own – he averages 0.4 shots per 90 minutes so far this season – but he’s a constant presence on hugging the right side of the penalty area, sending in an average of 2 passes that result in shots per game. Those aren’t astronomical numbers, but combined with the offensive might of his frontline teammates it’s enough for seven assists so far this season.

All of which is to say that Lukaku and Everton as a whole should not be underestimated. Vertonghen and Alderweireld’s experience with Lukaku helps keep them on their toes, but all of Tottenham’s starting XI need to be wary of what this Everton top four is capable of unleashing.