Three ways Nuno’s Tottenham Hotspur is different from Mourinho’s Spurs

Tottenham players are again confident on the ball

Last season, not only was Tottenham just a pass away from being cut apart, often that pass came from a poor turnover and a self-inflicted wound. The overall ability of the team on the ball last season – less a couple of outstanding individual performances – was not that strong.

It was commonplace to see poor passes, bad touches, and players being dispossessed with the ball. In short, the Spurs had a major lack of confidence on the ball, which seems to have disappeared this season.

If you look at the mistakes from Davinson Sanchez last season where he seemed always rushed and out of position versus this season where he has been almost flawless, it is like night and day.

Everyone on the team seems to have a bit of touch back which is leading to real confidence with the ball. If we look at the play of Højbjerg with the ball and his confidence to try the slide-rule through balls, back post chips, and even step-overs, tells us just how good the man is feeling about his football right now.

Everyone looks more comfortable and confident with the ball

You can go down the line and look at the confidence of players like Japhet Tanganga, Oliver Skipp, or even Premier League Player of the Month nominee Eric Dier and quickly see a group of men that are confident with the ball at their feet.

That confidence on the ball is further buoyed by their organization and plan, all leading to a team that seems to once again be enjoying its football.

The best part about this is these changes are all things that can carry on throughout the season. The organization and understanding of one another should only improve as they get more ingrained in Nuno’s approach. Additionally, as these other aspects improve the confidence the team is carrying should likewise grow.

This is not to say there will not be hiccups along the way but this team, even with many of the same characters, is set to write a much different story than last year’s squad.