Wouldn’t it be nice if Tottenham had this option against Watford

With a 96th minute winner off the head of Davinson Sanchez, Tottenham pulled off the great escape against Watford in the 1-0 win.   

It was a testament to how resilient and resolute Spurs have become in this new and exciting era. But wouldn’t it be nice if Tottenham had the luxury of employing just one defensive central midfielder against opponents who park the bus.

Claudio Ranieri had every intention of making life difficult for Spurs to penetrate his side’s reinforced 11-man defensive wall. And, for the most part, he succeeded. For the duration of the first half and large portions of the second, Watford condensed the pitch and brought 11 men behind the ball, hoping for either a counter-attacking chance or an opportunity from a dead ball situation.

And while Pierre Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp form a robust, solid and uncompromising partnership in the centre of the park, there’s no real need for both of them on such uniquely tailored occasions.

Tottenham could use a talented central midfielder in a more advanced role to find an incisive pass or maraud into the final third via the dribble. Having such a player is an effective way of bypassing or circumventing such a negative, rigid defensive approach.

At the moment Spurs don’t have that archetypal player at their disposal. Tanguy Ndombele is on the outside looking in while Giovani Lo Celso isn’t the answer either.

A lot of attention has been placed on Spurs’ need for a wingback, left-sided central defender and front man, but what about a silky smooth skillful number eight? Somebody that fits the mould of Liverpool’s Thiago Silva.

That would do nicely. And it would also alleviate the elevated anxiety of watching Spurs try valiantly, if not ineffectively, to break down stubbornly organized defensive units.