Tottenham Hotspur – Manchester United: Spurs Win Clash Of Underperformers (1-0)

Two severely underperforming clubs met on Sunday evening as Tottenham Hotspur were able to narrowly beat a Manchester United side who were wasteful in front of goal. United’s defensive scheme caused them problems in the first half against Spurs’ fluid possession, while United also showed promise in attack against Spurs unconvincing defending.

Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, two of the Premier League’s nominal ‘big six’ clubs found themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League coming into this game. Spurs’ injury crisis has been a defining part of their season, meanwhile United also lost two key men prior to this game, as Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo were ruled out.

Ange Postecoglou’s side lined up in a 4-3-3 shape here, with Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, and Djed Spence making up the back four. Rodrigo Bentancur anchored the midfield, with Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison ahead of him, while the front three was comprised of Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min, and Mathys Tel.

Ruben Amorim continued with his usual 3-4-3 system, deploying a back three of Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire. Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu were the wing-backs, while Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes were the central midfielders. Rasmus Højlund was supported in the front three by Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho.

Amorim’s defensive scheme suffers

Although Amorim’s preferred system can best be described as a 3-4-3 formation, he has demonstrated a willingness to make structural adjustments in different game phases. Another example . . .