Tottenham continue to be own worst enemy on defense in latest Leeds loss

Tottenham fans have been arguing for more of the Tottenham way, however, with the fourth-most goals in the league this season, it is not the offense letting the Spurs down. Yet again when Tottenham needed their best defensively, the team continues to let us down with poor play. There is no doubting Tottenham is their own worst enemy as demonstrated against Leeds in the 3-1 loss.

Tottenham lacking defensive fundamental

If we are being honest with ourselves and our club, it is quite obvious Tottenham lacks the basic fundamentals of defensive football. The job of a defender is actually rather simple, keep the ball out of your net.

The two most basic ways to do this are to keep the ball out of dangerous positions and to make sure there is always someone between an offensive player and the goal. In other words, defenders should be able to clear the ball and mark a man, something Tottenham simply does not know how to do.

Clearing dangerous balls is job 1 defensively

One thing that Jan Vertonghen never did for Tottenham Hotspur was turning away from a cross coming into the box. Instead, as a man possessed, Vertoghen would stretch himself and throw his body at the ball to get it away from danger. A corner against a set defense is much less dangerous than a loss cross in the box.

With the current crop of Tottenham defenders clearing dangerous balls are not something they do. Yesterday, on the first goal, was not the first time we have seen Eric Dier literally turn to allow a ball through, rather than stick out his leg and block it.

Almost like a basketball player trying to box out his man to create a driving lane, Dier inexplicably turned to face the goal on the cross and let the ball skid through. Maybe Sergio Reguilón should have been more prepared to clear but a good center-half does not let the ball through in the first place.  At this point, this kind of play has happened too many times to count this season.

 Defenders should head the ball high and wide

If you look at the way Tottenham heads the ‘clear’ whether it is Eric Dier yesterday or Davinson Sanchez earlier in the season, neither seem to understand how to clear the ball. You are taught from the youngest of ages defensively that you head the ball out high and wide. If the ball is high and wide it is least likely to create danger for the defense.

Again and again, this season, whether winning a punt at midfield or trying to clear the ball from a corner our defenders head the ball down and central. This is just flat out wrong. It was exactly this bad football that led to the second goal for leads yesterday.

Maybe, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg or Sergio Reguilón should have beaten Stuart Dallas to the hospital header Eric Dier left in the middle of the pitch but it really should have never happened. Had Dier simply headed the ball wide it would have gone out for a throw-in and the defense could get set.

Even if he would have simply headed the ball high and central it would have given both Højbjerg and Reguilón more time to recover. The bottom line is that at no point is a defender taught to clear a ball by heading it down and centrally, as that is the most dangerous place you can put the ball, as Tottenham was once again taught.