On Saturday Tottenham Hotspur visits Crystal Palace in an early must-win match for Patrick Vieira and the Eagles, here is how the Spurs can stop that from happening.
To say the fourth match of the season is a must-win is a bit of hyperbole but with a trip to Liverpool coming up and only two points through three games under a new coach, to say Palace needs a win is definitely an understatement. Playing at home mostly fit following the break, Palace is going to test Tottenham’s resolve.
If Tottenham can hit the keynotes offensively, and follow this defensive game plan, the Spurs should move to the rarified air of 4-0.
Defensive Point 1: Tottenham must stay compact defensively
Whereas last season Tottenham was often stretched defensively, thus far in 2021/22 the Spurs have been able to maintain a compact and connected defense. Crystal Palace is going to test togetherness by attacking Tottenham on the edges.
Expect Palace to look for longer-balls and counter attacks that particularly target their wide front men, Wilfried Zaha on the right and likely Jordan Ayew on the left. Ayew is a bit older than he used to be but he still can strike a ball and will consistently run hard at Tottenham for a good hour before coming off the pitch.
Zaha on the other hand is likely to be looking to get behind Sergio Reguilon and use his right foot, playing as the wide right-man in Vieira’s scheme. Both players will be looking to attack Tottenham on the edges and put balls into the box to Christian Benteke who is still a beast in the air.
Tottenham needs to maintain their discipline when defending on the edges, which means good tracking back from Dele Alli and Pierre Hojbjerg to assist the fullbacks. If the two center-halves and the deepest midfielder can all stay in the middle of the pitch it will limit the good looks Palace gets.
Besides maintaining their defensive discipline and shape here are a few more focal points for the Spurs defensively against Palace.
Defensive Point 2: Tottenham Must Control Possession
One of the best ways to beat a team in football is to limit the opposition’s touches on the ball. Crystal Palace has struggled to get out of their own end at times this season and Tottenham needs to take advantage of that.
Knowing that the crowd is going to be hostile and that Palace needs the win, there is no better way to take the wind out of Palace’s sails and quiet the crowd than by controlling possession.
If Tottenham can dominate possession and keep Palace pinned in defensively, even if Spurs struggle to break down the organized Eagle’s defense, it should lead to turnovers in the middle of the park and transitional opportunities for the Spurs in the attack.
Palace wants and needs a win, after two draws and finally scoring some goals, they are gaining some confidence. Tottenham needs to stifle that confidence from the kickoff by trying to simply dominate Palace in all phases of the game.
Defensive Point 3: Spurs better have someone running with Connor
One of the biggest differences between the lackluster performance on opening day for Crystal Palace and two decent matches in the weeks after was Connor Gallagher. On loan from Chelsea, so ineligible for opening day, Gallagher has been the most consistent attacking threat for Palace springing up from the midfield.
Against Brentford, Gallagher was able to combine and get into the box crushing the ball off the woodwork and just missing out on taking all three points. Against West, Ham Gallagher was able to pop up twice in the box to gather possession and put the ball in the net.
In all of those instances, Gallagher was running in from the midfield adding an extra body into the attack. This is particularly effective when he plays off and around Zaha who can draw an extra defender. If Dele Alli and Oliver Skipp (or Harry Winks) drift too much to the side to help on Zaha, Gallagher is going to drift into those spaces they vacate and cause havoc for the Spurs defensively.
Tottenham is going to have to work to keep a body on Gallagher and prevent him from picking up the ball in the box where he is most dangerous.
If Tottenham can manage to hold the lion’s share of the possession, maintain their shape and discipline defensively, and do not lose sight of Connor Gallagher in the defensive third, they should be able to keep the Eagles down and come away with their fourth straight clean sheet. However, if Tottenham does not work to control the tempo and possession, gets pulled out from in front of the goal, and forgets to track back on Gallagher, Palace will end the Spurs winning run.
Ultimately, this is a match about discipline defensively, which seems to be something Nuno Espirito Santo is instilling in this team. We will see just how well that work is going Saturday afternoon in south London.