Five Reasons Why Tottenham Hotspur Should Change to a 4-3-3

Reason 2: 4-3-3 Can be Defensive Too

We know José Mourinho likes to try and keep clean sheets and likes to have a defensive side. Well in a 4-3-3, if he wanted to get defensive, he could get defensive. Just as he started Ben Davies and Sergio Reguilón on the left and Davinson Sanchez and Matt Doherty on the right in the 3/5 back formation against Wolves, he could do so more effectively in a 4-3-3.

In a 4-3-3, Spurs would still have their regular back line, meaning both Davies and Aurier – a regular fullback – would have less space to have to defend with the two center halves between them. This would keep the regular rotation going, which is good, compared to the 3-back system where Spurs just do not have enough quality center halves if any get hurt.

Then in front of the regular back line, Tottenham could still play Sergio Reguilón on the left of the midfield and Matt Doherty on the right. This would be a much more defensive formation but would leverage the skills to get down the flanks with essentially four wingbacks in the game. This could be a great late game approach for Spurs as they would have more defenders, in natural positions, but still have the possibility to hit back on the counter.

Reason 3: Less responsibility for Pierre Højbjerg

If Tottenham are going to succeed and win trophies in the next couple of seasons, the current included, Pierre Højbjerg is going to be a big part of that success. That said, he has a bit too much responsibility in the current system. Compare Højbjerg’s role with Tottenham to that of say Jordan Henderson at Liverpool and you see a big difference.

With a midfielder on both sides of him Henderson’s primary focus is one of depth, which allows him to do what he does best, which is play with anticipation and attack the ball, then move it quickly in another direction. While Henderson provides support defensively, those midfielders on either side of him, help to cover for the wingbacks allowing them to push up field, without losing that deep central coverage.

In the Tottenham set-up Højbjerg and Sissoko are responsible for both the depth awareness defensively and the providing that support to the wingbacks. In other words, those two men are doing the work of three at Liverpool. This disadvantage in numbers is a big part of the reason Liverpool and Manchester City both dominated possession in the midfield against Tottenham.

Ask yourself who is better Jordan Henderson or Pierre Højbjerg. I am not trying to pick on Henderson here, rather, it is a compliment to Klopp for finding how to get the most from him as a player. Tottenham need to do the same with Højbjerg, rather than stretching his limits.

If Højbjerg had the same responsibilities as Henderson, they would be talking about building a statute for the Dane at N17 the way they are talking about building one for the Englishman at Merseyside. Yes, Højbjerg and Sissoko are special, but that does not mean we should run them into the ground. Instead of asking others to do what they cannot, why not put all of the players in a position that allows them to do the best of what they can.