Three Things to Look for From Tottenham Versus Marine

As Tottenham Hotspur take on Marine FC in the FA Cup, there is the outside possibility of one of the greatest upsets of all time, to avoid that, look for this from Spurs.

With multiple tiers and millions of dollars separating Tottenham Hotspur and non-league Marine FC, it is up to Spurs to set the tone. Tottenham Hotspur need to quell any fantasies early and look to jump on Marine from the off in the FA Cup and make it clear the only magic at Merseyside is going to be the experience for Marine. If Tottenham are going to cruise like they should they need to do these three things.

Start on the Front Foot

Belief and hope are real things in sports. Belief is the reason Marine is going to take the field in what should truly be an embarrassingly lopsided affair. Hope is that feeling that the belief may pay off and something magical may happen. The longer Marine can stay in the match, the more the belief grows, and hope emboldens the underdog.

Tottenham cannot afford to let the dream of something special happen last long after kickoff. While Spurs do not need to go crazy from the off, they do need to get immediately on the front foot and look to pressure Marine with and without the ball. Making Marine feel that difference in level from the off and quickly absorbing any belief and hope in the players will be important for Spurs.

The longer the match stays level, the more if helps Marine, so look for Tottenham to get out of the blocks and score early to end any ideas of quickly.

Tottenham Dominate Possession

We know that dominating possession is not the style of José Mourinho, as he feels more comfortable coaching a team forcing the opponents into mistakes. While there will be plenty of opportunity to force Marine into mistakes and take the football, the key is keeping the ball away from Marine.

If Marine can build some possession, that grows their confidence and can make for a more difficult match than it needs to be. However, if Spurs can completely dominate possession, meaning 65-70%+ of the possession, then it should help to diminish the confidence of Marine. More importantly, that possession should lead to chances for Tottenham.

Tottenham are not a possession dominate team; however, they are times where they need to be, and this is one of them. Look for Spurs to be on the ball, the key is who has it, where we want to see more touches from the midfield and attackers than from the center backs.

Be Aggressive with the Ball

Tottenham have several attacking players who are simply not playing up to their level yet this season. Whether it has been due to injury, lack of opportunity, or a lack of confidence, Tottenham need more players contributing offensively than they have been getting. With an opportunity to have a lot of the ball, it is also an opportunity to do something with it.

Look for the wings and midfielders to take defenders on. The first thing we thought of when we heard about Gareth Bale wanting to play was him attacking someone on the dribble and realizing he does still have some burst. While we doubt we see Heung-Min Son and do not want to see Harry Kane, seeing Bale or Moura, or Lamela, or Clarke take a player off the dribble would be nice.

For some players on Tottenham, we have just been waiting for that moment. Sometimes you need to have that moment against lesser competition to create those moments against the better teams. Sunday should be a chance for Tottenham to have some moments, but to do that you have to be aggressive with the ball and take your opponents on the dribble.