Pairing Wanyama and Dier Might Not Be Best for Tottenham
By Ryan Wrenn
Just how successful was Victor Wanyama’s audition for a role in Tottenham’s central midfield?
In short, it could have been worse, and it could have been better.
Mousa Dembélé’s suspension was never going to make it easy on Tottenham. Without the Belgian balancing out Eric Dier’s efforts in central midfield, Mauricio Pochettino ran the risk of losing balance. The question ahead of Saturday’s season opener at Everton, then, was on which side of caution he’d err on.
Consider the options available to him. He could have fielded Ryan Mason. The 25-year-old has plenty of experience working from that position, and has a decent-to-good preseason.
At one point — really, the whole of the 2014/15 season — his attacking intent was a liability leaving huge holes open in Tottenham’s defense. Last season and this summer has seen Mason show an increased capacity for patience and for timing his movements forward however.
Naming Mason would have been the bolder choice for Pochettino compared to naming Wanyama. The Kenyan’s a closer analog to Dier than he is Dembélé. Seeing as how many of Everton’s strengths lie in their narrow play, it made sense to want to double down on Tottenham’s ability to cover the area in front of the centre-backs.
Barring Ross Barkley’s free-kick goal, this tactic was mostly successful. Everton relied far more on getting the ball down the flanks out of sheer necessity. While they threatened from there on occasion, it was better than Tottenham conceding the one area of the pitch Everton hoped to thrive in.
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
Wanyama’s contributions became more clear in the second half. In search of a goal, Pochettino removed Dier and brought on Vincent Janssen. For the remainder of the game, Wanyama was the only defensive midfielder on the pitch in a system that was very top heavy.
Despite that, Tottenham held Everton to just two shots thereafter, both of which were off target. Perhaps Ronald Koeman’s team were merely playing for the point, but the result strong suggests that the purchase of Wanyama this summer was money well spent.
Even still, there’s reason to ask whether naming both Wanyama and Dier to the same midfield was counter-productive.
With Wanyama’s natural tendency to sit deep like Dier, there was little to no assistance from the midfield in Tottenham’s attempts to break down a stubborn, compact Everton defense. A player like Dembélé is capable of patrolling the midfield area and moving play forward — via the pass or the dribble — when possession is reclaimed.
Absent such a player, Tottenham couldn’t get the overload the often thrive on. Does that mean Mason was the better choice on the day? Perhaps, but there’s no telling how much solidity Tottenham would lose without Wanyama in that role.
There’s also no telling how well Wanyama plays in a starting XI that is actually fit. Dier’s withdrawal in the 55th minute was as much a reflection on his sub-standard play as it was exhaustion. He and most of the rest of Pochettino’s favored starters are still reeling from the Euros and a too-short preseason.
As the season heats up and the players gain fitness, Wanyama’s suitability to play in the Dembélé role might become more obvious. For now though, fielding both him and Dier together seems like too much caution in a system that relies heavily on a buccaneering spirit embodied by the Belgian dynamo.