On Saturday Tottenham Hotspur lost by 3 goals to a team that lost by 3 goals to Chelsea to start the season, how do Spurs get right before they play the Blues?
Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo was facing his first real test as Tottenham coach. After a miserable performance lacking confidence and character on Saturday in the humiliating defeat to Palace, Tottenham Hotspur need to get right fast. If the Spurs cannot perform better than they did at Selhurst Park, things are going to get ugly fast at N17.
Thankfully it is not time to hit the panic button yet, and these steps can help get Tottenham right before Tuchel and the Blues come to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Step 1: Tottenham need to fix their formation
Over the international break, we played around with the idea of Tottenham using a three-man defense, something Santo did often at Wolves. However, instead of going with a three-man backline or sticking with the normal 4-3-3, we had seen through three games, Santo went in a completely different direction.
It was always going to be tough with both Steven Bergwijn and Heung-Min Son unavailable, however by playing three defensive midfielders along with Dele Alli in the middle of the park, Tottenham never had a chance and not one midfielder performed up to their capabilities.
People can talk about a lack of creativity but the lack of creativity is about the players on the pitch not the team as a whole. Both Brayn Gil and Tanguy Ndombele were on the bench and available and both have creativity dripping off of them.
To add an extra central midfielder playing against a team that loves to attack the wings was just not smart football and the Spurs paid the price.
Rather than playing in a style and formation that had been working, Santo opted for Mourinho ball, asking the midfielders to cover for the fullbacks and we learned the hard way last season that is a recipe for disaster.
We have not turned on Nuno here at HotspurHQ yet but the lack of any kind of plan or scouting report for Palace was obvious and is very concerning. So step 1 is simple, go with what you know works and stick to the compact 4-3-3.
Step 2: Spurs must lay brave on the front foot
As expressed in another article the most disappointing part of the Spurs performance from Saturday was the lack of any real intention to win the match. The team lined up scared and played that way.
Crystal Palace is far from a juggernaut yet Tottenham overly respected them and allowed the Eagles to take hold of the match, far before the red-card.
Far too often last season Tottenham sat back and let the other team control the match and that is exactly what we saw on Saturday a team that was not trying to be in control. There was little to no press, little defensive organization, and definitely no real plan of attack.
Tottenham needs to stop trying to counter-attack a counter-attacking team and needs to play like they believe they are the better team and can win the game. Part of that is the formation that sets the team up for failure, part of that is the players, who were simply the wrong lot for the match but a big part of that is the game plan and what the players are being asked to do.
If Santo does not get back to playing attacking football he is going to lose the fans and likely his job incredibly quickly. We saw this show last year and we did not want to renew, so Santo needs to get offensive in a hurry.
Step 3: Play Bryan and beat Rennes
We really thought Bryan Gil was the best option to replace Heung-Min Son on the left and will continue to stick with that assessment until something proves otherwise.
Tottenham traded a playable offensive option for Bryan and if he is not ready to go in the Premier League then this team truly is sunk. With almost no depth behind Bryan and some other kids, Santo and the club have to put their faith in young players and let them play.
This means that Bryan needs to start against Rennes and the team needs to go to France to win. If Tottenham loses to Rennes on Thursday, then they will have lost two of their last four in all competitions heading to the home of the European Champions.
Getting some positive energy and momentum comes from winning games, and Tottenham needs to beat Rennes in France to get that energy going. Further, confidence comes from playing and playing well, the Spurs need to get their creative players on the pitch and playing so they are ready for the rigors of lay ahead.
A loss to Rennes before the Chelsea match will be devastating as this team’s confidence is razor-thin and even a single win can help.
Step 4: Reintegrate the South Americans and get players healthy
People can talk about fining the players who went to South America for qualifying, instead, I hope people talk about playing the players who went. With Eric Dier likely injured for a while, Tottenham is going to need both Davinson Sanchez and Cristian Romero.
Which of the two can play on the left is anyone’s guess – neither is probably the right answer – but unless Rodon does, the Colombian and Argentine are who Nuno has to play and he needs to play them both, as the center-half room is not that deep.
Additionally, Giovani Lo Celso is another of the ‘creative’ players for Tottenham but to be creative you have to be on the pitch. While Tottenham is likely to be quite defensive against Chelsea players like Lo Celso can make a difference.
Beyond the South Americans returning from Covid restrictions, Tottenham needs to get the rest of the team fit and firing. The number of early-season injuries is quite worrisome for this squad as it does not bode well for a healthy season.
The loss to Palace really stings the best medicine would be beating the Blues. But to do that the Spurs need to get right. If Tottenham can refind their formation, beat Rennes, re-integrate the missing pieces, and play like they think they have a chance to win, you never know, they just might.