Positive Takeaways from Tottenham win over Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur got back on the right track with an assured win over Aston Villa on Sunday before the international break. The three points and the confidence built from winning are clearly the most important takeaways overall for the team, but there are some other positives to build upon. Here are some takeaways we think give promise for Tottenham moving forward as Spurs look to finish the season strong.

Tottenham Brought the Effort

As was said immediately after the loss in Croatia and then after the win Sunday, it was not losing to Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb that hurt so much as it was the nature of the losses. Tottenham did not show enough emotion, spirit, or energy in those matches. With so much riding on those games, to get beat by not really showing up was disheartening.  The question was then how does the team respond.

Based on the effort on Sunday, Tottenham is not dead yet and still has some fight left in the squad. The spirit that was lacking in the previous two matches was there whether it was pressuring in the front or sliding to give up one’s body to block a shot in the back, the Spurs players were leaving out on the pitch.

Seeing the effort that is required to really win on a consistent basis was really good. The question now is if they can consistently bring that kind of effort and intensity to every match. While some opponents – see Marine FC – are such that Spurs can just show up and win, Tottenham is a blue color team and needs to play hard, period.

Playing some of the youth helped the cause

One of the hopes we had in our match preview was that Tottenham and José Mourinho were going to play some of Tottenham’s younger players. While it is great to have a team of bonafide international players, sometimes teams need that hunger that can only come from someone still trying to prove themselves.

On Sunday both Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga brought that confident, can-do attitude to the pitch. And while not young, Carlos Vinicius – who is equally hungry for minutes – did his part in providing some real push along with Kane in the press. Too many players on Tottenham have been too comfortable for too long, the more that some of the younger, less experienced players can play and push other more comfortable players, the better.

With the likes of Dane Scarlett, Alfie Devine – both in the squad this past Sunday – Oliver Skipp, and Ryan Sessegnon all likely to be a part of the set-up next season, Tottenham is going to get a lot younger. The sooner some of that youth movement begins the better, it was great to see it Sunday.

Tottenham’s offense is still the best defense

This is something we have known for a while now, well since the start of the losing streak back in December, the best defense for a team that really is not strong defensively is a strong offense. Tottenham played the majority of the game Sunday on the front foot and it really helped the defense.

Given the youth in the defense leaving the back four under less than constant pressure was a good move. That said, the defense did their job and had five big blocks and several effort-plays that showed a desire to earn a clean sheet. Given that only 1 official shot on goal was conceded, it was a good day for the team defensively.

Hopefully, Sunday was a blueprint for the team moving forward. While other teams will have spells of possession and their time on the front foot, Tottenham should be pushing to be the aggressor. The Lilywhites need to fight to take what should be theirs which is a top-four place. If we can see more effort, some hungry players, and a team looking to play from the front foot for these last two months, anything can happen.