THFC Attacking Analysis PL 2015-16 and Preview of PL 2016-17

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Attacking Analysis PL 2015-16 and Preview of PL 2016-17

Contents 1. Introduction 2. Manager 3. Players 4. Shape/Style of Play 5. Team Selection 6. Attacking Phases/Patterns 7. Vs Bournemouth FC 8. Vs Watford FC 9. Vs Leicester City FC 10. Vs Manchester City FC 11. Goals Analysis 12. Strengths 13. Weaknesses 14. Summary 15. Preview to 2016-17

1 2 3 8 9 10 13 16 19 21 23 25 26 27 28

Introduction With Tottenham having a very successful season competing for the premier league title, they have shown some very effective attacking and scored a number of impressive goals. They had Harry Kane who won the top scorer for the 2015-16 season, had the top goal difference in the league despite conceding 5 on the last day of the season and finished second in the goals scored for. This analysis has been created to look at the way Tottenham attacked throughout the season and why they were so successful through this. Although they didn’t have the finish to the season that they wanted, I believe there is some interesting observations and statistics that show some strong ways to attack and score goals. To finish there is also a brief preview of the 2016-17 season for Tottenham following the first game of that season.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino The Argentine is known for bringing fast attacking football and a high pressing game, often in the shape of a 4-2-3-1, to the teams he has managed. A similar style to a manager that he once played for, Marcelo Bielsa, he has played this style of football at Espanyol, Southampton and now Tottenham. He gained experience in the game through being a player at a number of clubs and even making serval appearances for Argentina. He finished his career at Espanyol and took on the caretaker position when they were left 3rd from bottom but took them to a comfortable 10th, securing his job and his future in football management. Normally takes a business and thoughtful like approach to press conferences and his side line actions especially compared to a number of premier league coaches and the managers have he had as a player. He has shown through his work with Tottenham that he is continuing to develop a style of play and shape that requires a lot of players in terms of physical demands and mental focus/decision making but gains rewards through successful, exciting football. The way the team shape changes as the team moves up the pitch and the movements of players within the front lines is something uncommon in the premier league and shows why teams have struggled to defend against this, objectively proven as they scored in all their games except 6.

Players

Number:

1

2

3

4

5

Position:

GK

RB

LB

CB

CB

Hugo Lloris

Kyle Walker

26/12/86

28/5/90

2/7/90

2/3/89

24/4/87

France

England

England

Belgium

Belgium

Left

Right

Left

Right

Left

6ft 2in

5ft 10in

5ft 8in

6ft 1in

6ft 2in

33

29

21

34

25

Name: DOB: Nationality: Preferred Foot: Height:

Appearances:

Danny Rose Toby Alderweireld Jen Vertonghen

Players that did not make an PL appearance aren’t included. Substitute appearances in brackets

Players

Number:

6

7

8

10

11

Position:

CM

LM

CM

ST

RM

Ryan Mason

Harry Kane

Erik Lamela

Name:

Nabil Bentaleb Heung Min Son

DOB: Nationality: Preferred Foot: Height:

Appearances:

24/11/94

8/7/92

13/6/91

28/7/93

4/3/92

Algeria

Korea

England

England

Argentina

Left

Right

Right

Right

Left

6ft 1in

6ft 0in

5ft 8in

6ft 2in

6ft 0in

2 (3)

10 (14)

6 (12)

34

24 (6)

Players that did not make an PL appearance aren’t included. Substitute appearances in brackets

Players

Number:

13

14

15

16

17

Position:

GK

ST

CB

RB

RM

Michael Vorm

Clinton N’Jie

Eric Dier

20/10/83

15/8/93

15/1/94

19/9/90

16/7/91

Netherlands

Cameroon

England

England

England

Preferred Foot:

Right

Right

Right

Right

Left

Height:

6ft 0in

5ft 8in

6ft 2in

5ft 10in

5ft 11in

1

0 (7)

33

5 (1)

0 (3)

Name: DOB: Nationality:

Appearances:

Kieran Trippier Andros Townsend

Players that did not make an PL appearance aren’t included. Substitute appearances in brackets

Players

Number:

19

20

22

23

24

Position:

CM

CM

LM

CAM

CAM

Moussa Dembele

Dele Alli

Nacer Chadli

DOB:

16/7/87

11/4/96

2/8/89

14/2/92

3/5/93

Nationality:

Belgium

England

Belgium

Denmark

England

Left

Right

Right

Right

Right

Height:

6ft 0in

6ft 1in

6ft 2in

5ft 9in

5ft 7in

Appearances:

25 (2)

27 (5)

10 (15)

29 (2)

0 (1)

Name:

Preferred Foot:

Christian Eriksen Alex Pritchard

Players that did not make an PL appearance aren’t included. Substitute appearances in brackets

Players

Number:

25

27

28

33

Position:

CAM

CB

CM

LB

Josh Onomah

Kevin Wimmer

Tom Carroll

Ben Davies

DOB:

27/4/97

15/11/92

28/5/92

24/4/93

Nationality:

England

Austria

England

Wales

Right

Left

Left

Left

5ft 11in

6ft 1in

5ft 10in

5ft 11in

0 (7)

9 (1)

4 (14)

13 (2)

Name:

Preferred Foot: Height:

Appearances:

Players that did not make an PL appearance aren’t included. Substitute appearances in brackets

Shape/Style Of Play

10 Kane

11

20

23

Eriksen

Alli

Lamela

19

15

Dembele

Dier

2

3 Rose

5

4

Vertonghen

Alderweireld

1 Lloris

Walker

Formation On paper, Tottenham played a 4-2-3-1 but this would adapt Attacking Tottenham would play through build up play with a lot of switches of play through the CDM/CBs, crosses from wide or deep and clever central movements (behind, deep and rotations). Through the season they had higher possession in each game apart from 8 (they had equal possession in one game and of these games, only two were in 2016). Transitioning to Defend With a number of players forward and with immediate support around the ball, Tottenham would press quickly to try and win it. While this was happening the CBs, FBs and CDMs would try to get back into position. Dier would often be a part of the defence already to make a 3 at the back giving Tottenham more defensive cover when pressing forward. Defending If they couldn’t win the ball early, they would drop back in but look to then press forward with a 4-2-4/4-1-4-1. Transitioning to Attack Although they used build up play through the thirds, they would be happy to counter quickly if they had an advantage from it (if the other team had CMs that played high, could not transition to defend quickly etc).

Team Selection Bantaleb 2 (3) Vorm 1 Onomah 0 (7) N’Jie 0 (7)

Chadli 10 (15) Son 10 (14) Mason 6 (12) Trippier 5 (1) Carroll 4 (14)

Townsend 0 (3) Transferred Pritchard 0 (1) Loaned Out

10 Kane 34

11 Eriksen 29 (2)

20

23

Alli 27 (5)

Lamela 24 (6)

19

15

Dembele 25 (2)

Dier 33

2

3 Rose 21 5 Davies 13 (2) Vertonghen 34

4 Alderweireld 25

Wimmer 9 (1)

1 Lloris 33

Walker 29 Trippier 5 (1)

Appearances The normal set up in the 4-2-3-1 was as shown left with the players in midfield taking up different roles and positions as well as rotations (both while trying to move the ball forward and switching for periods of time). Generally, Dier would drop deep to stay as a CDM/CB, Eriksen and Lamela would stay central most of the time while the fullbacks pushed high and wide. Kane, Eriksen, Lamela and Dembele would make a diamond/box shape as shown on the previous page. The fullbacks switched in a number of games. However, generally, they played Rose and Walker in the Premier League games with Davies and Trippier stepping in for some. This was most likely down to playing so high and attacking while still having to get back and cover. Trippier played in 5 (plus 1 sub appearance) but mostly featured in the Europa League and other cups along side Wimmer and Davies. Goal Scorers Harry Kane was the main goal threat with 25 Premier League goals across the season. Alli had 10, Eriksen 6, Lamela 5, Son and Alderweireld on 4 followed by Chadli, Dier and Dembele on 3. A handful of players also scored 1.

Name followed by number of starts and in the brackets the number of sub appearances

Attacking Phase 1

10

11

23 20

3

2

19

5

15

1

4

Positioning/Movement The starting position depends on how much pressure the other team are putting on Tottenham. With low pressure Tottenham will bring the ball forward straight into phase 2, with some pressure they play like shown to the left and with high pressure it is common for them to play straight into the CMs or at least central areas with the overload (to either then play forward quickly and counter or to then bounce back once the other team have dropped). Priorities Playing into Next Phase The first priority is to play forward quickly on the counter but only if there is a realistic chance of retaining the ball. After this, a lot depends on the amount of pressure from the other team and the game scenario however, they generally always look to play with control and retain the ball (hence the high level of possession). Striker or wingers (who have come inside) are first options with movements behind or short, this followed by the CMs who create the angle to make space for themselves and space for the dropping forward players. You then have the FBs which have pushed high and wide who will look for it in behind or to feet (depending on pressure on the ball and the closest markers position). If they can’t play one of those passes with a realistic chance of success, they will play sideways or bounce pass for the next player to look forward again.

Attacking Phase 2

11

10

3

2 20

23 19

5

4 15

1

Positioning/Movement Once in the middle third, Dier (CDM) will drop off to become almost like a CB (if there is no pressure on the ball then sometimes he will stay high) while the other CDM holds central on the angle. The FBs continue to give width and depth while compromising their wide midfielders because if they go wide to mark them, the ball can be played though into the central players and if they hold central, the ball can be played into the FB. The central players make a box/diamond and use rotations to get on the ball, often with the closest CM moving on the angle central, the far two players moving high and across and the striker or high winger moving towards the ball. If the ball is played sideways or backwards the players will hold those positions (even if they had just rotated) and move again from these positions. Priorities Playing into Next Phase Similar to the last phase, the priority is to play into the strikers behind or to feet, if not, to the FBs that are pushed on either in behind or into feet. If this isn’t on, then into the CMs either behind their CMs or in front, if not, move the ball between the CDM and CBs to then start again. They will play the ball around to then bounce elsewhere to drag players out of position, often around the CBs, CDM and CMs to then play centrally or down the wings quickly.

Attacking Phase 3

11 10 3

2

23

20

19

5

4 15

1

Positioning/Movement There is a lot more fluidity in the final third however there are common patterns of play. If the ball is central then the FBs will continue to drive on and offer width with the CMs making support runs, the CDM offering the pass back and the CBs and other CDM as defensive cover as a three. Priorities Playing into Next Phase The first priority is to play the ball into the striker behind the CBs as a through ball, if not, into his feet in front of the CBs. After this, the same principle goes to the CMs and then the wide midfielders. There were common patterns of play and movements that were used in the final third. The box set up was still used and rotated often towards the side the ball was on however as the ball went wider, Kane would step back in line with the back post where the far CM was, therefore overloading the back post. The closest CM would offer either the pass on the angle or make a run forward to comprise their FB who would press Tottenham’s FB (as shown left). The CDM would offer the pass back to then switch play to the far CB or even play a cross from deep to the far post. The FBs when on the ball would vary their approach, sometimes crossing early or crossing late depending on if they receive the ball through or to feet and also depending on the support from the CDM and closest CM as well as sometimes taking the 1v1 option.

Bournemouth 1 vs 5 Tottenham Hotspur 25/10/15 Boruc

1 Francis

Cook

2

3

Ritchie

30

10

Distin

Daniels

25

11

Kane Surman

11 Eriksen

6

19

Dembele

Gosling

4

23

Lamela

Pugh

7

King

20 Alli

15 Dier

2

Murray

3 Rose

17

5

27

Vertonghen

4

Alderweireld

1 Lloris

Walker

Formation Bournemouth played a 4-4-1-1 formation, Tottenham a 42-3-1. Attacking Tottenham built through the thirds but made mistakes in possession. T/Diamond shape at the back with Walker stepping into the right side of that and Rose going high to play as a left winger. Centrally Tottenham had a box with movement. Erikesen or Lamela offered width on the right but sometimes would stay central. Bournemouth held a line of confrontation just over the half way line in a 4-5-1 formation. They pressed slightly higher when 2-1 down. Transitioning to Defend Tottenham pressed early with players around the ball and would drop as required. Bournemouth looked to play but with pressure they played more direct. Defending Tottenham pressed into the Bournemouth half with an aggressive individual press. Bournemouth tried to play through but became more direct. Transitioning to Attack Tottenham countered quickly into the highest player on the pitch with very quick support from the CMs/FBs. They would then often go for goal or bounce back and build through the thirds. Bournemouth would press at first but would drop as quick as possible (pressed more when they went 2-1 down).

Bournemouth 1 vs 5 Tottenham Hotspur 25/10/15

19

10

3

23

20

5

11

15 2 4

1

Tottenham Shape – Walker Sitting Deep/Rose Going Forward Tottenham played with 4 at the back in a T/diamond shape while they had two players wide and a box/diamond centrally. Rose the LB would play extremely high while Walker the RB would sit in when Tottenham were attacking (Walker playing a really deep role compared to most games however he would attack on the counter and if the wide right player had stepped inside but this would be a late run forward). The two CBs stepped across to the left while Dier dropped in to become top of the T/diamond. There was a lot of movement centrally between the CMs as well as whoever was steeping wide right (either Lamela or Eriksen, they continued to switch) to either come short to receive and bounce back or turn and drive.

Bournemouth 1 vs 5 Tottenham Hotspur 25/10/15 Tottenham Attacking Final Third Centrally Tottenham would often play quickly into Kane or which ever player was furthest forward with support coming from the FBs and CMs who would run past the player on the ball to either play through to or bounce back to one of the CMs to then combine centrally. When building up play, they would play the ball around the back first before then playing into one of the CMs who would come short to receive. Regardless, the players central would make movements between the lines to receive and try to create 2v1s and 3v2s through angled and quick movements. Tottenham Attacking Final Third Wide Tottenham would also create overloads wide through movement of the CMs and the FB. The outcome would either be a cross from wide, a switch of play via the CDM/CBs or, as shown to the left, a bounce back and slightly central for a cross near the back post (a common pattern seen in a number of games). The striker and the furthest CM would pull across to the far CB to then make their run in. With the CM pushing high this also leaves gaps central if their CM goes with him or a 2v1 if he doesn’t.

Watford 1 vs 2 Tottenham Hotspur 28/12/15 Gomes

1 Cathcart

Anya

Britos

3

15 10

21

Alli

Ake

16

Kane Lamela

20

11

Abdi

Watson

Capoue

Jurado

22

23

29

7

3

19

28

2

Dembele Ighalo

Carroll Deeney

Trippier

24

9

Rose

27

Vertonghen

15

4

Dier

Alderweireld

1 Lloris

Formation Watford played a 4-4-2, Tottenham a 3-4-2-1. Attacking Tottenham attacked through build up play by either penetrating centrally through Kane, Lamela, Alli and Carroll (plus Eriksen once he comes on for Dembele) being in a box/diamond and making movements off of that, or switching play quickly. They would offer width through the fullbacks, have the players in the box making different movements between the banks of 4 and also high to stretch them and also have a 4 vs 2 at the back to keep possession and switch play. Transitioning to Defend Tottenham would press quickly with the numbers they had around the ball. Watford would generally try to play into 9 Deeney or 24 Ighalo very quickly through a direct ball. Defending Tottenham would generally try to press however at points in the second half, they sat back more in a 5-4-1 with the 4 quite compact around the ball still pressing. Transitioning to Attack Tottenham would be happy to play forward quickly but would sometimes bounce the ball back as Watford dropped back in. They would then use this to create space wide with the fullbacks as well as the box/diamond moving and finding space between the two banks of 4.

Watford 1 vs 2 Tottenham Hotspur 28/12/15

10

11

3

2 28

20

27

19 4 15

1

Tottenham Attacking in a box step up Tottenham attacked with a box centrally with support from both the wide players as well as the diamond shape at the back. The players in the box made different movements to get onto the ball and also to move the opponents. The other thing they often did was made movements or positioned themselves on the outside of the central players which meant that Watford had to hold their fullbacks and wide midfielders more centre so they could maintain an overload centrally and not allow Tottenham to penetrate through the middle (although Tottenham did do this, they often used this to then bounce back or play wide as the Watford players got more compact). Once the ball was played wide, Tottenham would often cross with Tottenham overloading the back post (runs from the far fullback and at least two other players).

Watford 1 vs 2 Tottenham Hotspur 28/12/15 1v1

7

3

1v1

5v6

23 27

10 20 15

2

11 4

Watford down to 10 men Watford switched formation once Ake was sent off to a 5-3-1 when defending and a 3-4-2 in the attacking phase (the fullbacks stepping forward as well as Deeney turning into a striker again). They sat deep when they were defending and now with the 5 at the back Tottenham couldn’t utilise their wide players. The other advantage this switch gave Watford was that they had two banks of 3 centrally (or at least a 3-2 if one of the midfielders got pulled wide to press a bit). This meant Tottenham no longer could play between the lines as much as Watford had an extra player holding central. Tottenham kept trying to play a ball long/through centrally (shown in both images below) with some success or would play central to then play wide (where the final goal came from).

7

10

20

Tottenham Hotspur 0 vs 1 Leicester City 13/1/16 Hart

1 Morgan

Simpson

Mahrez

26

10

5

17

Huth

Fuchs

6

28

Kane Drinkwater

Kante

4

23

20

14

Lamela

Alli

Eriksen

11

Albrighton

11

28

15

Carrol Vardy

Dier Okazaki

3

9

20

2

Rose

5

4

Walker

Vertonghen

Alderweireld

1 Lloris

Formation Leicester City played a 4-4-2, Tottenham a 4-2-3-1. Attacking The first half Tottenham played how they have in most of the games with a controlled build up and happy to switch play to get crosses in from the FBs as well as create gaps centrally. In the second half they attacked a lot quicker both with longer passes trying to get in behind the Leicester CMs quickly with the help of the 3v2 centrally and Kane dropping to receive. Leicester defended in their own half but happy to press a bit in the other half with Vardy pressing and Okazaki holding on the CDM. Transitioning to Defend Tottenham pressed quickly as they have done in most games although because Leicester played quickly forward most of the time, they ended up defending in their own half quite a bit. Defending As mentioned above, Tottenham tried to press early but Leicester were very quick to counter with support so most of the time Tottenham had to drop quickly to then defend or intercept the ball played forward. Transitioning to Attack Tottenham built up at first but in the second half they attacked a lot quicker through the centrally and the 3v2 in midfield. Leicester pressed early with the couple of players around the ball while the rest dropped quickly.

Tottenham Hotspur 0 vs 1 Leicester City 13/1/16 Tottenham Countering and Shots The first half, Tottenham played with similar possession and controlled attacking to what they have in a number of games this season with a high number of switches, passes into wide areas (a lot more into the left side to Davies and Lamela) and with a number of crosses. However in the second half, they looked to counter with speed. This is most likely to get behind the Leicester CMs (as shown below in one example) as they both stepped forward in Leicester attacks. Tottenham had 221/272 passes (81.2% pass completion) in the first half compared to 137/182 (75.3% pass completion) in the second half. With a 3v2 centrally and with being able to leave Kane and Eriksen higher up the pitch, plus having Walker, Davies, Alli and Lamela being able to get forward quickly, it makes sense why Tottenham chose to attack this way although they lost the game. Tottenham across the game created 21 shots with only 5 on target. 11 were blocked by the Leicester defenders (Leicester also had a high number of tackles and clearances in the game).

Manchester City 1 vs 2 Tottenham Hotspur 14/2/16 Hart

1 Zabaleta

Kompany

5

4

10

20

30

22

Fernandinho

6

23

Alli

Eriksen

Silva

Toure

21 Rose

Clichy

Kane Fernando

3

Otamendi

19

42

7

25

Son

Sterling

15

Dier Dembele Auguero

27

10

Wimmer

4

Alderweireld

1 Lloris

7 2 Walker

Formation Manchester City played a 4-2-3-1, Tottenham a 4-2-3-1. Attacking Tottenham build up play playing through the thirds and out from the back with a lot of switches in play. Man City had a line of confrontation just into their half with a medium to low individual block (however 42 Toure and 10 Auguero did sit high as the team defended more like a 4-4-2). Tottenham attacked quicker after City began to press high. Transitioning to Defend Tottenham pressed quickly both individually and as a team. Often because they had numbers around the ball when they lost it they were able to press in high number and win the ball back quickly (or at least force City to play long). Man City tried to play out but often struggled to. Defending Tottenham pressed high as a team with a line of confrontation near the Man City defensive third and with a high block/press individually. Man City tried to attack through build up play but played forward quicker with riskier passes. Transitioning to Attack When Man City were high up or pressing Tottenham would play forward quickly, if not they would build up play as they did in the attacking phase. Man City generally dropped in.

Manchester City 1 vs 2 Tottenham Hotspur 14/2/16 Tottenham Attacking Middle Third into Attacking Third With Man City defending deep for most of the game, Tottenham started most of their attacking at the edge of the middle third. Dier would drop in between the two CBs Wimmer and Alderweireld and also Dembele would drop in to create a T shape most of the time. They would play across one side to then bounce out to the far CB (or if there was no pressure one of the other 3 players) who would then drive forward to then release. The two fullbacks would then give as much width as possible and sit between the lines while Kane, Son, Alli and Eriksen would be in a diamond shape to make movements between Man City two banks of four. Tottenham would then either play wide, through into the CMs to turn in the gap or through/over.

Goals Analysis Tottenham scored 69 goals in the 2015-16 season in the premier league with Harry Kane netting 25 goals and becoming the league’s top scorer for that season. Alli was also in the top 20 with 10 goals and gaining 9 assists throughout the season. With both these players being right footed and with watching the games and goals, the first pattern is how both Alli and Kane would play within the box set up but would generally drift to the left hand side of this to drive in and shoot on their right foot while Rose or Davies being the one to offer the left footed cross. This is evident below with the number of goals scored on the left hand side of the kill zone. Other clear patterns in terms of the actual goal scoring include the number of goals coming from what is know as the kill zone (the 3 central boxes, most common area of goals scored in the majority of national and international competitions) and also the number of goals scored in the bottom half of the goal (interesting stat potentially showing the accuracy of shots and the number of tap ins after passes through). This combined with the high percentage of one touch finishes and the high number of goals scored from final third passes, plus crosses, show how effective Tottenham were at both combination play centrally with quick play and strikes (aided by the overload of players centrally because of the box set up) as well as playing wide to then cross (helped by the two going back post often 2v1, the player short on the front post and the player set for the cut back). 13 6

20

2 0

1 14 3

6 8.8%

3 4.4%

5 7.4%

19 27.9%

15 22.1%

20 29.4%

0

4 *Excluding Penalties

*68 Goals in total plus 1 own goal

Goals Analysis 60

60

55

56

30

50

50

15 20

20 8

10

10

Area Inside Box Outside Box

Set Pieces

20

15

13

14

10

7

0

0

20

20

30

30

29

25

40

40

25

35

Head Foot

8

9

1 Touch 2 Touches 3+ Touches

Came From Pass Final 1/3 Pass Mid 1/3 Cross Ball Regain

Central Free Kick

2 Goals 2 Assists

Corner Kick

0 Touches

2 Assists

9

5

5 0

Contact

10

10

Wide Free Kick

3 Assists *Plus 2 goals from second contact

Penalty Kick

Dribble

5 Goals

*Excluding FK/CK/PK

Build up to the Goal Tottenham had two patterns when it came to their goal scoring, first, they had a high number of passes played through penetrating the back line. The stats above combined with recording the number of penetrating passes through the back line (15 in total not including crosses) and analysing the movement of players (player running between the two CBs, in front of the far one and behind the closest) show how effective this was in terms of scoring goals. The second was how quickly they attacked when they had the chance. They scored roughly 13 goals from a counter attack (subjective in terms of what determines a counter attack or not). Set Pieces Another area Tottenham were strong in was scoring from set pieces, both in premier league and other competitions. 7 goals directly, 7 assists and 2 from second contact on the ball. 16 goals down to set pieces in total. Kane took PKs while Eriksen took the CFKs. One corner shown to the right with Alderweirld and Dier scoring a number from headers.

10 20 28

4

15 11

Attacking Strengths Shape and Patterns The box set up that Tottenham play centrally, although complicated to play as requires a lot of rotations, covers for the defence and the FBs to get up and down the pitch often, it is hard to defend against. Because the wingers drive inside the other teams FBs and WMs have to come inside with them with often leads to the other team being very narrow to cope centrally and not let Tottenham exploit gaps in the middle. This then allows the FBs to travel high with barely any pressure as well as Tottenham having pivot points with the CBs and CDM that mean they can switch play quickly. The two highest players (Kane and one of the other CMs) often play on the outside of their CB which means the CBs get pulled apart and the FBs also have to come in to cope, which in turn, allows more space out wide for the FBs to then cross (for cross, two far players drive forward) or the far striker to make a run in front of their CB but behind the closest allowing the penetrating through ball that has lead to many goals in the 2015-16 season. Central players would often work in a rotation with the closest CM moving toward the ball on the angle offering the ball short or the ball into the gap behind him where a player has moved across to. Through this Tottenham would build possession looking to play forward when possible (Patient but happy to counter).

11

10

3

2 20

23 19

5

4 15

1

Attacking Weaknesses Shape and Patterns With Tottenham's high percentage of possession and ability to create space, a lot of teams adopted to defend deep which was successful a number of times to get draws or to see out a win. Obviously with this tactic you have to be able to soak up that pressure while being very capable on the counter attack of have confidence in taking advantage from set pieces. Other ways to combat Tottenham's shape and style of play include playing with 3 CBs and 2 FBs/WMs. The 3 central players stop the through pass while allowing the other CBs to step across with the strikers and also allowing the FBs to push further out to press the FB quickly. Playing with 3 in midfield either man marking or covering the space should stop passes through the central areas and finally with the 2 strikers there as well, they should be able to press the CBs and CDM forcing Tottenham to play back or force play. Playing a box set up like Tottenham could also allow the team to press Tottenham higher up the pitch. In the games Tottenham lost, all apart from the last game of the season were by a 1 goal margin and of these 6 games lost, a goal from a set piece was scored in 4 of them. Tottenham did score in all their games apart from 6 through the whole season.

11

10

3

2 20

23 19

5

4 15

1

Summary As already mentioned, Tottenham did not have the fairy tale finish they wanted however they did manage to build a very successful team around a number of young players in a very high pressing and attacking style of play. The way they played developed across the season as you can see through the examples with the last number of games showing maybe the inexperience of the team when the crucial games came. This may give those players involved the experience they need to continue to push the team towards the title for the next season. I hope you have enjoyed this analysis of Tottenham’s attacking. I believe there is a lot of interesting information in terms of their shape and style of play and how it worked and sometimes didn’t work against different opposition. Thank you for reading.

2016-17 Season Preview Likely Starting XI

10 Kane

11

20

23

Eriksen

Alli

Lamela

12

15

Wanyama

Dier

2

3 Rose

5

4

Vertonghen

Alderweireld

1 Lloris

Changes from 2015-16 Most of the staff and the team have remained at the club for the 2016-17 season with a couple of major signings so far. These include Janssen (9), a young prolific finisher from the Netherlands. He has had a very successful career so far scoring a number of goals and making appearances for this country. He is strong on the ball like Kane but is left footed (although very good with his right). Likely to play the same role as Harry Kane or with one of them dropping into one of the central attacking midfield roles like Son and Alli did last season. The other signing is Wanyama (12) who played for Pochettino at Southampton. A holding central midfielder who is very effective at breaking up play and also passing from central positions. A lot like Dier in terms of play and positioning, he will likely either play along side Dier with one of them holding and one stepping up or they will both share the game time a lot like the full backs did last season.

Walker Overview Tottenham had a very successful season and still have a very young side that have most likely not peaked. They could have another very successful season challenging for the title however will have a lot of competition this season with both Manchester clubs making a lot of changes, Arsenal and Leicester building on last year and Chelsea and Liverpool both wanting to improve last seasons standing.

First Game: Everton 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur 13/8/16

9 10

11

23

3 20

12

5

4

1

2

Overview Tottenham had a tough first half with Everton creating the majority of chances and scoring early from a wide free kick being curled back post. The second half the game switched and Tottenham began to come back into the game as they brought Dier off for Janssen, a more attacking tactical change. Tottenham got a goal back quickly through this change and tried to get the winner but couldn’t find the back of the net. Similar style of play for Tottenham with some changes more due to the type of players playing and their role. Taking Advantage of Tottenham’s Weaknesses Everton seemed to do a number of things to make it a tough game for Tottenham, whether these were down to the way Everton are going to play this season under Koeman or if they set up this way specifically against Spurs, they made it difficult. They scored quickly through a set piece and their 34-3 caused issues as they closed the FBs and CBs down quickly and had their 2 CMs holding on Dier and Wanyama (both seemed to hold) as the team pressed. Plan B Tottenham switched Dier for Janssen, Janssen going up front and Kane dropping in just behind as Alli dropped to CDM but really played higher like he did last season. The Everton press was nowhere near effective and Tottenham opened up space wide as there were more central players.

Written by Ben King