Tottenham Need Only Play Their Game

At this point in Tottenham’s already fantastic season, it can be difficult to compose tactical previews.

Not because there isn’t much to say, but because their isn’t much unique to say. Not anymore.

Mauricio Pochettino found his best starting XI relatively early in the season and stuck with it unless circumstances – injury, cup competitions, exhaustion – demanded otherwise. It’s an XI that are not only the best pieces to fit into Pochettino’s system, but also the ones physically capable of delivering consistent performances throughout the season.

On this home stretch of matches, including today’s home fixture against West Brom, it’s all too easy to predict lineups and guess at tactics. The spine of Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Hugo Lloris will remain a constant, while Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Érik Lamela will combine at the center of the pitch to create the best overload situation in Premier League football. Mousa Dembélé will calmly dominate, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker will dive-bomb forward and Jan Vertonghen will lead from the back.

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There have been subtle changes all season, of course. Pochettino briefly went with three-at-the-back for a match against Watford in December. Kieran Trippier got minutes in that game and others based on his superior ability to exploit the area long the opposition’s defensive touchline. At times Nabil Bentaleb, Tom Carroll and Heung-min Son came into the squad to add something different.

Tottenham’s recent galloping pace proves the value of knowing what you’re good at. If you have the best tools at your disposal, and the requisite commitment from those tools, then there’s no need to tinker if you don’t have to. On their current form, Tottenham can take on such different opponents as Manchester United, Stoke City and West Brom without having to put much thought into how they’ll need to play different. They are good enough at the moment to take on virtually all comers.

That confidence is built on that fact that Tottenham have only rarely found opposition that knows how to deal with their hellacious press. Say what needs saying about the club’s dynamic attack and stout defense, but teams in the Premier League can deal with that at a much higher rate than having their ability to retain the ball in their own half disrupted so often as this Tottenham team manages.

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As difficult as that press is to defend against, it’s even more difficult to instill it in a squad as quickly as Pochettino has with Tottenham – both in a technical and physical sense. Having a player like Dembélé – who was seemingly made for this kind of gameplan – in the ranks makes it easier, as does the naturally high fitness levels of most of the squad. It’s still an achievement that is nothing short of remarkable.

So while there’s something to be said about how oppositions will attempt to disrupt Pochettino’s system, there remains no better option available to Tottenham than stick with what they do best match to match. West Brom will present a unique challenge, to be sure, but at the heights Tottenham now find themselves there should be no obstacle deemed too high for the usual script not to overcome.