Mourinho’s tactical changes propel Tottenham over West Ham

Small tactical changes helped Tottenham leave London Stadium with three points in Jose Mourinho’s first game as head coach.

Teams traditionally get a little bounce from a new manager, as players look to put their best foot forward in defence of their own jobs. The same was true today in East London, as Tottenham’s players performed admirably in their first match under Jose Mourinho.  However, it was the small tactical changes from Mourinho that paid dividends as Spurs won their first road game in the league since January, a span of a dozen games.

So, what did Mourinho do that propelled his side on to the important victory?

Centre half flip-flop

The first change seemed subtle, but to anyone who has watched Spurs’ defense over the last two-plus seasons knows, Davison Sánchez is better as a right-sided center-half. Several times last season Pochettino used Sánchez on the left of the pair in replace of Vertonghen. Pochettino moved him back to where he’s better suited, on the right side, and used Toby Alderweireld on the left. This season under Pochettino, Sánchez was employed on the the left and Toby on the right. That changed today.

Today Mourinho got the call right: Alderweireld and Davinson both look more comfortable in their pairing when Sánchez is on the right. Sánchez played well overall, although Antonio gave him some trouble in the second half. But for most of the game the pair were really sound. More importantly, with Sánchez more comfortable on his preferred right-hand side, the formation often shifted that way, pushing Davinson toward the fullback position to allow Serge Aurier to push up-field.

Aurier was productive going forward with an assist to Kane for the game-winning goal. Additionally, Aurier was always available as an outlet. Rather than trying to push both wing-backs forward, the idea was to push Aurier forward and keep the less athletic, but more defensively sound Ben Davies at bay while attacking down the right. Alderweireld and Sánchez playing in positions that better suit their strengths facilitated improvements all over the park.

Dele Being Dele

For Tottenham to be at their attacking best, they need an attack-minded midfielder making plays, which, at his best, Dele Alli excels at. Today we got a little glimpse of the Dele of old, harassing on defence and making some key passes going forward. To be fair to Dele, this kind of performance has been coming over the last few weeks. Finally healthy, but maybe not up to play 90 yet, Dele ruled the pitch.

After a couple through balls where Kane strayed offside, Dele weighted a perfect pass to Son Heung-Min who did his classic step-over before blasting past Roberto.

The more impressive part of Dele’s game was his effort on and off the ball, and nothing signified it more than his play on the second goal. Dele slid after the ball to save it from going out-of-bounds, then nicked it forward with his leg from the ground, pushing Son past the defender and toward goal. Son laid a great ball across the front of the goal and a hard-charging Lucas Moura slid in for the finish and a 0-2 Spurs lead. While he didn’t get an assist for the second goal, it arose all because of Dele’s wondrous effort on the byline.

Dele was taken off for Eriksen with just over 10 minutes to go, presumably saving something for midweek and sending a message that he was good, but can still do better. Let’s hope Mourinho keeps pushing the buttons that produce the real Dele.

Pushing the Ball

Sure, it wasn’t Liverpool, City, or Bayern, but on the road in a derby at a place where Mourinho has been known to “park the bus” from time to time.

Today Spurs did everything but park the bus. Harry Winks looked like the player who excels for England and moved the ball forward by dribbling and spraying the ball in every direction.

While still not the stopper Hugo Lloris is, Paulo Gazzaniga does have a weapon with his leg. Just like Ederson can produce instant offence for Guardiola’s team, Gazzaniga’s big boot can get Tottenham Hotspur instantly on the front foot. While there will be time for possession in the back, seeing Spurs use his big boot off goal kicks was a nice change for the team.

Finally, as mentioned, Lucas Moura was sort of a surprise starter on the day, but his pace and drive with the ball, even when it wasn’t his best day, shows why he is such a difference maker.

Sure, he blew a golden opportunity to make it 3-0. Other than that Moura did his job, which was to put West Ham back on their heels and, like Winks, provide some drive forward in Spurs attack. Seeing more of Moura, even at the expense of Moussa Sissoko, is a good thing for Spurs attack.

Early Takeaways

It was nice to get three points, more importantly three points on the road. Mourinho will certainly have more tactical changes in store for Spurs, as the short passing game displayed early didn’t stick in the second half. In a quintessential Mourinho way, he blamed a poor last 30 minutes on fatigue and emotion. We’ll give this one to him.

Regardless, it is three points and a big jump to the top half of the table. Swapping the centre-halves, pushing the ball, and having Dele at the centre of the team helped Tottenham to their first away win since January.