Stifled Spurs: Three ways to get Tottenham scoring for fun again
Roberto Soldado has scored only one goal from open play
Nine games into the Premier League season, Tottenham sit more or less where they’ll want to be come the end of the year, in fourth position having won six of nine games. In some ways they are doing better than could be expected, especially in defence, but their lack of a cutting edge has drawn frustration from their fans, who have grown restless at having to rely on Roberto Soldado penalties to beat teams they deem beneath them.
Spurs Home Stats
This has been especially true at home, where Spurs have scored just five times in five games. The growth of the club in recent years has brought two negatives in that a growing sense of entitlement has soured the atmosphere at White Hart Lane, where teams now come more than happy to play for a point. Spurs are yet to figure out how to play through these sides, often spending the bulk of the match aimlessly passing the ball around near the half-way line.
This was especially true against West Ham, who produced a counter-attacking masterclass in nullifying the Spurs threat before hitting their hosts on the break in a 3-0 win.
Making The Most Of Christian Eriksen
The only home game to buck the trend was against Norwich, Spurs opened the Canaries with ease. Perhaps poor finishing was to blame for the fact Spurs only won 2-0. What was notable in that game was the performance of Christian Eriksen, who was allowed room to operate in the final third and posed a constant menace with his incisive passing. However, since then teams have quickly identified Spurs’ number 10 position as the key to their attacks, with West Ham marking Eriksen out of the game and Hull forcing Lewis Holtby to drop deep to collect the ball where he posed little threat.
Christian Eriksen Heat Map v Norwich
Christian Eriksen Heat Map v West Ham
The bad news for Spurs fans is if they continue to line-up in the same way they will be reliant on penalties or individual moments of brilliance for many of their victories this season. The good news is that Andre Villas-Boas has plenty of options in his squad to try and address the issues.
Given that the problem is more to do with creating clear chances than firepower, adding extra guile to the side seems the most natural solution. Instead of dropping one of Eriksen and Holtby, Villas-Boas could play both in his side with the pair rotating in and out of the central number 10 slot, with each used in wider roles at their previous clubs at times.
Getting The Best Out Of Erik Lamela
Another player with the qualities required to create chances for Spurs is Erik Lamela, who laid on 55 opportunities at Roma last season. The Argentine has looked short of confidence so far at Spurs, with Villas-Boas admitting he is struggling to settle in London. Ensuring Lamela gets back to his Roma form is a clear priority for Spurs, as he brings everything to the table when on song, rather like the departed Gareth Bale.
Erik Lamela Chances Created Last Season
Another possibility is to revert to conventional wingers, adding more width to Spurs attacks and providing Soldado with the kind of cutbacks he thrived on at Valencia. This would represent a backward step for Villas-Boas, who seems to have settled on inverted forwards, but this can cluster the play and place too much pressure on a sole number 10 who can be marked out of the game at times.
Utilising Aaron Lennon
Last season Aaron Lennon created 66 chances from the right-flank, but he looks uncomfortable as an inverted winger. Both he and Soldado could well benefit from a more traditional setup, but that would involve moving the in-form Andros Townsend, potentially sacrificing the one part of Spurs’ attack that has worked well so far this season.
Aaron Lennon Chances Created Last Season
A more simple solution could be for Spurs to get the ball in the opposition third more quickly, before they have time to settle. This could be achieved either by playing the ball forward rapidly rather than dilly-dallying in the middle of the pitch, or by pushing their central midfielders even further up the pitch to close down the opposition.
The latter could see them winning the ball back in dangerous positions before the opponent can set up defensively and is a key part of the intimidating pressing game used by Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Each option brings a little more danger to their play as they risk being caught upfield more frequently, a gamble reduced by unerring pass accuracy at Bayern and Barca which is far from the case at Spurs, but as they say at White Hart Lane, to dare is to do.