Tottenham Hotspur Need More Focus, Less Fouls Defensively

Tottenham Hotspur have given up 13 goals in 10 games in all competitions already this season, with many of the goals preventable through smarter, more focused football.

Tottenham Hotspur got their first clean sheet of the season on their 10th game this past week as Joe Hart and company held LASK at bay in the 3-0 win. While the shutout should boost the confidence of a shaken defense, what is needed more than anything is to focus on set pieces and stop getting called for silly fouls in the defensive third. Seven of the 13 goals conceded by Spurs have come directly from a set piece situation, meaning they were preventable.

Set pieces can be a real difference maker in the football and for many clubs, big and small, set pieces are the best way to score against their opposition. Liverpool has been excellent with their free flowing open play the last couple of seasons, but it has been the precision and deadliness of their set pieces – often led by the head of Virgil Van Dijk – that have made Liverpool particularly difficult to defeat.

While it would be great if Tottenham were more effective on set pieces in this way, and that might happen with Bale back in town; but right now, I will settle for stopping the opposition in dead ball situations. If Tottenham could have maintained concentration, they would be in the top four with a game in hand instead of looking for a win against Burnley to go sixth.