Tottenham: Three things Spurs need to do better to beat Arsenal

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Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur in action with Mateo Kovacic and Andreas Christensen of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur in action with Mateo Kovacic and Andreas Christensen of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021, in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

Spurs need to mark better on set pieces

Tottenham has now given up goals off of corner kicks in consecutive games. First Thiago Silva rose over Dele Alli and headed home the opening goal which swung the match in Chelsea’s favor. Then against Wolves, Leander Dendoncker headed home over an abject effort from Tanguy Ndombele.

Dendoncker had already won one header off of a corner kick and got a shot of goal that was right at Pierluigi Gollini. These headers are coming far too easily and far too often and Spurs need to find a way to defend them better.

Perhaps one way to do better would be having your best players in the air mark the other team’s best players in the air.

After Dendoncker won that first header Spurs should have recognized the danger and put a stronger player in the air on him than Ndombele. Whereas Thiago Silva’s goal was more about Dele getting beat, Ndombele was never going to win an aerial battle against a man much larger and better in the air.

Instead of Ndombele, someone like Cristian Romero or Davinson Sanchez should have been marking the opposition’s strongest player in the air. This ultimately is a situation where the Lilywhites need to work smarter.

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