Three areas Tottenham needs to improve to compete for top four

Tottenham Hotspur has had an uneven start to their campaign resulting in some tough losses and big wins. To really compete for the top four, however, Spurs need to improve in a few key areas. Here are three places where Tottenham needs to improve to really compete this season in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur started the season well with three wins on the bounce after a strong preseason. Unfortunately, much of the positive attributes that were part of that good start have disappeared and some other things have yet to appear. What Spurs were doing but are no longer and needs to improve is ball pressure and recovery.

Tottenham needs to press and pressure more

If you happen to go back and look at the game against Manchester City to start the season, you would see a team possessed. The aggression both on and off the ball from Tottenham was immense and it lead to Spurs turning City over multiple times in the match.

Those ball recoveries – which occurred all over the pitch – were a major reason City was unable to score and Tottenham kept a foothold in the match.

The pressure was not really a surprise given the way the team had played during the preseason, where pressing and pressure was a major part of the approach. However, as the season has progressed that aggression, particularly off the ball defensively, has really disappeared.

During the three-match losing streak, Tottenham was quite passive off the ball allowing far more uncontested passes than they should. While the pressure was higher against Villa, it was still short of what Spurs were demonstrating to start the season.

This has especially been true in the Conference League, where the team should be working to impose their will against lesser competition, like in the preseason. Some of the change may have been a result of the lack of available players with all of the absences and injuries, however, that excuse is not going to continue to fly and the team needs to up their pressure on the ball.

Ultimately, to be a good counter-attacking team, you have to win the ball in dangerous places, that only happens when you make it.

Besides being better with pressure and ball recovering here are two more areas for Tottenham to improve to really compete this season.