Tottenham Face Aerial Battle Above Turf Moor

In many ways, Tottenham will face a familiar situation when they make the trip to Burnley’s homeground of Turf Moor on Saturday.

They will face a team that, even at home, will be desperate to contain Tottenham’s attacking talent. The Clarets will sit back, absorb pressure and take what they can get from the match.

With Burnley not-quite-clear of the relegation battle, they only have more reason to look to a rigid, layered defense.

Tottenhan’s record suggests that alone will not be enough. In all but four Premier League matches this season, Mauricio Pochettino’s have found a way through the opposition defense. Chances are they they will penetrate even Burnley’s capable backline.

Sean Dyche understands this risk and, like so many other coaches of scrappy teams before him, built in a contingency.

More from Match Previews

None of Ashley Barnes, Sam Vokes nor Andre Gray are prolific goalscorers. Between them they only have 18 league goals thus far this season.

What advantage they do have comes in the air. With no clear playmaker in the side, Burnley rely on getting the ball into dangerous areas by other means. Though none of those three strikers are quite Peter Crouch or Andy Carroll, they get enough service to prove effective all the same.

Indeed, no team attempts more long balls than Burnley, though they only rank 9th in terms of accuracy per WhoScored. The volume is enough however to ensure that their pair of strikers are far from isolated.

What that means for Tottenham is twofold. One, the back three will need to be diligent in their efforts to push up the pitch. Barnes, Vokes and/or Gray will ride their shoulders in hopes of breaking the offside trap and latching onto the end of a punted ball forward.

In situations closer to goal, Spurs will lean heavily on Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian is the man Pochettino usually relies on to mark oppositions’ taller players due to the fact that he himself is very proficient in the air. He leads the team in aerials with 3.7 per game — well above anyone else, including his two fellow central defenders Toby Aldeweireld and Eric Dier.

That might actually be a problem. When Burnley traveled to White Hart Lane, Vertonghen was solely responsible for checking Barnes’ flights through the air. While he registered 12 successfully won aerials, Barnes still beat his own average with six.

Next: Tottenham's Pochettino Rules Out Barcelona

Fielding three centre-backs frees up a lot of Tottenham’s attack, but it’s going to put a lot of pressure on the other two centre-backs to check the runs of Burnley’s attack. Especially with Vertonghen likely deployed on the left, Alderweireld will need to be able to stay vigilant while also catching his own share of balls in the air.