Tottenham remain susceptible to their own tactics
By Ryan Wrenn
Saturday’s 3-0 friendly loss to Manchester City is only the most recent example of one of Tottenham’s more glaring weaknesses: the press.
No one can escape the irony that the press is also one of Tottenham’s greatest strengths — just so long as they are the side doing it.
Pep Guardiola wasn’t the first coach to realize this chink in Spurs’ armor, and he most certainly will not be the last.
In seasons prior Mauricio Pochettino has born witness to half a dozen matches in which his team proved oddly vulnerable with the ball at the first, or proved unable to string together more than a few passes out of defense.
A 2-1 loss to Anderlecht in the Europa League group stage in 2015/16 stands out in the memory, as does a 1-0 against West Ham at the end of that same season.
Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, predictably enough, have proved to be Spurs’ most reliable bane in this regard. The German is among the fathers of modern counter-pressing — or gegenpressing as they say in his homeland — so it stands to reason that his teams would be uniquely equipped to get the best of Spurs.
To date though, these losses rarely amount to much. Pressing remains a nascent art form in the Premier League, with only a handful of sides actually capable of pulling it off as a Plan A, go-to tactic like Pochettino’s side.
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On the evidence of Saturday’s match though, Spurs might be in for a shock in the coming season.
Guardiola’s side pushed Spurs’ defense from the opening minutes, with their brand new full-back pair of Danilo and Kyle Walker in particular running riot on the flanks.
The result was often panic within the Spurs ranks. Not only was City’s frenetic press allowing them to regain possession in key areas, it was disrupting the ability of the defense and midfield to get the ball upfield to the attack.
It was, in short, precisely the state Spurs force their opposition into more often than not. Against Pochettino’s team opponents can either defend deep and hope for the best, or run the risk of disastrously exposing themselves by actually trying to push up the pitch.
Indeed, one of the most prominent examples of this scenario last season was Spurs’ 2-0 demolition of City in October. Guardiola instructed his team to take the game to Spurs and throw caution to the wind, and were punished for it.
That lesson learned, Guardiola fielded a three-at-the-back formation with support from Fernandinho in midfield — a set of tactics very similar to Spurs’ from last season. It proved plenty of protection in the back while allowing upwards of six players to overload Spurs’ defense and force the issue.
Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies faced the brunt of this onslaught, unprotected and unassisted as they were on the flanks. The worst of both players was put on display here, and the match will only provide fuel to the critics who believe Trippier is not up to replacing Walker — and that Davies is not a big game player.
There are problems here beyond individual performances however. With few exceptions, Tottenham are simply not as comfortable on the ball as they should be. The press works so well against them because so much of the midfield and defense either pick the wrong pass or give up the ball entirely when closed down.
The same holds true for the attack, who can be stifled far too easily by tight marking and an organized, narrow defense like the ones utilized by both Roma and City.
What is needed, clearly, are at least one or two players in the mold of Mousa Dembélé. The Belgian is one of the finest dribblers in the Premier League, and naturally wields an uncanny level of ball control. Few are the times were he is dispossessed in dangerous areas.
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The attack also needs pacier options, particularly on the wings. Against such aggressive full-backs as Danilo, Walker and Benjamin Mendy, a lightning quick winger would easily be able to exploit the space left in behind. With Toby Alderweireld launching long diagonal balls forward, these hypothetical speedsters could unlock defenses like City’s with ease.
Whether such players as these can be found among the ranks of Spurs currently — Georges-Kévin Nkoudou, for instance, showed occasional promise on the wing in the past — or whether the club will need to turn to the transfer market remains to be seen.