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Tottenham vs Everton tactical view

By Barrett Rouen

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 15, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 15, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham take on Everton on December 23rd in a contest between two clubs who used to be more similar.

A decade ago Tottenham Everton was a match between two clubs that were just on the edge of breaking into the Champions League.  They were both good, but not great and admirable sides who were very close to the top-4.  Now Tottenham have successfully broken into that group and along with Manchester City are one of the main proponents of that old top-4 moniker being changed to a top-6 one.  Everton though are still, due mainly to their own managerial misgivings and poor recruitment, still in the same place.

This weekend though will see a more tightly contested competition than in many of the more recent iterations of this competition.  It is a classic example of why the British game is so much stronger than many of the others around Europe.  Neither of the teams is a guaranteed title contender or even Champions League qualifier and yet the teams will contain no less than a dozen fully-fledged internationals between them.

Both teams play a relatively similar style of football in that they do put an emphasis on attacking but in a more traditional Bayern Munich and Manchester United of the 90’s way than the new Pep Guardiola and Maurizio Sarri method.  Tiki-Taka will not take place as much as quick ball movement and trying to break at pace up the field.

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Tottenham haven’t defended as well as they have the quality to in recent weeks but that is unlikely to be exposed.  Everton other than Richarlison haven’t gotten firing as well as Marco Silva will have wanted yet this season.  Most of their uptick in form is down to the re-solidification of their defence.

This game is likely to take place in the channels in Everton’s half.  The midfield battle is already all but won by Tottenham with the greater amount of quality in their engine room.  That said it will be hard to capitalize on that with Everton keeping a strong shape and not pulled out regularly.

The aerial attack that so often rewards Dele Alli and Harry Kane simply won’t happen.  Among Everton’s possible centrebacks there’s not a single player under 1.90m.  Every single one is an absolute unit.  If Tottenham can keep the ball on the ground and move it along quickly and with intelligence there’s a chance that it works but set pieces and crosses which are some of the teams greatest strengths will have to be cut out.

2-1 to Tottenham, a 1-1 draw or a 1-0 in either direction seems likely in this match.  Everton are slight underdogs but a far better side than they used to be and moving in the right direction under Marco Silva who seems to have finally decided to stay with a club for more than a couple of months.