Tottenham Earn a Well Deserved Win

Tottenham get another win and leapfrog Manchester City for second place in the Premier League.

From the very start of the game until the end, Tottenham went one direction and that was forward. Early on, Spurs would play deliberately slow and maintain possession as if they were trying to figure out Watford’s shape.

Seeing as how Troy Deeney would start the game on the bench, and Odion Igalho was the lone striker for Watford, it made sense to play patient and hold onto possession of the ball. It wouldn’t take long of course for Tottenham to know what to do and that was pile on the pressure, with the Hornets deadly striking duo not playing together.

And for the entire first half, this is exactly what Mauricio Pochettino’s side did. Watford didn’t get a break and faced constant pressure.

To only get one shot off — and not on target — for Watford, compared to Tottenham’s 12 attempts (three on target) after 45 minutes. This spoke volumes on how outmatched Quique Sánchez Flores’ men were from the very beginning.

While the game would head into the break level at 0-0, the second half would only get worse for Watford. Tottenham have been in form for months now, and this game continues to show why.

Just two minutes into the second half, Watford would be backed up in their own half for a good spell. Around 14 minutes that included a Kieran Trippier goal.

To pile on that much pressure after the second half got underway is both fantastic and scary at the same time. It’s fantastic to see Tottenham smell blood in the water after dominating the first half. Instead of dialing things back just a bit, they made sure to keep the pressure up and not give Watford much room to breathe.

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At the same time, this is down right scary.

To turn things up a notch even more, than what was being shown during the first 45 minutes is just a glimpse of what Tottenham can do to opposing teams when they are given the chance.

Because Watford were plugging more players into their defense to lessen Tottenham’s chances of scoring, a la Leicester City, it was effective enough in the first half.

Once the second half began, the pace became faster. The tone simple: don’t allow Watford to get possession of the ball and continue creating plenty of chances for a goal. Tottenham stuck to these two instructions and literally took the Hornets out of this game.

Having more possession of the ball is one thing.

But getting everyone involved in attack from a majority of their outfield players: their full-backs, the entire midfield and Harry Kane — not to mention their substitutes — it’s an encouraging sign that Tottenham can attack from anywhere on the pitch, find pockets of space and get numerous chances to have a shot on goal.

With this kind of offense, Tottenham can match up against any opponent in the Premier League right now. Coupled with the best defense in the Premiership, who are all good no matter who starts, it’s a recipe for success.

Next: Matchday: Tottenham 1-0 Watford

This season has seen Tottenham become very consistent. They have been slowly climbing up the league table since the beginning of the season. Now that they’re second and a point above Manchester City, the kind of pressure that Spurs applied against Watford, will most likely continue against Man City at the Etihad Stadium.

The reverse fixture saw Tottenham win big, 4-1, and with Spurs’ consistency, it’s not a stretch to think that a fraction of what was shown in this game can be re-applied to Man City once again. If successful, and Spurs get another win, this will not only dampen the Citizen’s chances of contending for the Premier League title, but it will boost Tottenham’s odds of catching Leicester City.