Despite dominating possession, Tottenham Hotspur showed very little creativity in their unbalanced system, and were rightly punished for it. Sheffield United were finally back to their normal selves, defending compactly before great transitions down the flanks exposed more problems with Spurs’s Joséification. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. The horse race towards the […]
United were the more assertive team from the early stages of the game but were unable to make much of their possession share. Steven Bergwijn was suddenly able to take advantage of some slack United defending to put Spurs 1-0 up just before half an hour. United continued struggling in the second half until Paul […]
Awful league form and an early Champions League exit have raised the question whether José Mourinho is still an elite football manager. Public ramblings towards Tanguy Ndombélé, Eric Dier hurdling rows of seats to confront supporters and Mourinho’s eccentric comments on how the Leipzig bench could play in his first team have epitomized a club […]
José Mourinho switched to a somewhat surprising 3-4-3 formation for this Champions League return match. The switch appeared to bring Tottenham Hotspur slightly more joy, without surrendering the numerical advantage in wide buildup to RB Leipzig. However, the severely lacking cohesion in Spurs’ attacks – especially compared to Leipzig – made a telling difference. Tactical […]
Sunday action in the Premier League saw Tottenham Hotspur play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers in a clash that could prove crucial in the race for Champions League qualification. The ensuing contest was an entertaining and even one, with Wolves claiming the points in a game full of goals. Tactical analysis and match report by Julian […]
Olivier Giroud gave Chelsea an early lead amid a passive start from Spurs, which handed Chelsea control of the match early on. Spurs gradually became more aggressive as the game went on, but Chelsea’s pressing was suitably intense and was often able to stifle Spurs’ buildup. Marcos Alonso doubled Chelsea’s lead just after half-time, meaning […]
A classic high octane Leipzig performance proved far too much for a pinned-back Mourinho side. Superior ball retention and a general ease of passage through Spurs’ shape were decisive in creating key openings. The questions posed by the hosts as the game went on lacked any sort of conviction, subsequently affording the visitors an easy […]
Club football enters its decisive phase, with lots to play for in every competition. Yesterday we previewed the first two ties, today we focus on the upcoming two ties of the most important tournament in club football: the Champions League. Article by José Pérez, Kareem Bianchi, Manasvin Andra and Erik Elias. Tottenham Hotspur – RasenballSport Leipzig […]
In terms of the balance of play and the result, this game was reminiscent of the earlier clash between these sides this season, when City dominated but were unable to win. Guardiola’s side set up with a left side overload in attack and were able to break through Spurs time and time again, but unable […]
Spurs approached the game with a typical José Mourinho strategy as they sought to defend in a low block and hit Liverpool on the counterattack. Liverpool were able to create a few good chances though, and finally got the breakthrough just before half-time. Spurs’ change of attitude in the second half was not enough to […]