Tottenham finally played two games against serious opponents and we could see where are Spurs before Premier League 2024/25 season start. Here are my observations after those two games.
First tactics didn't change for one millimeter. It's still dangerous high line with wide open space on both flanks for exploit. It's still building up play from back line no matter how many opponents are doing pressing even when every player has been tightly marked. It's still bad defending from set pieces with unbelievable ideas like B. Johnson should be near Kim min-Jae on set pieces! (Wave to "defending set pieces coach" Mile Jedinak)
It's painful to watch opponent with ball and our 4 defenders in high line on like 5 meters from center with 3-4 opponents preparing to run in wide open space. All they need is one good pass and right time running in to make big chance. It's equal pain to watch losing balls around own box which lead toward big chances for opponents. The most painful is watching them defending set pieces! Playing from the back is all right when opponent do lazy press, when their players stand too far away, or do that with not enough players which leaves at least one of our alone or with decent free space, but when all are marked and opponents near them it's suicidal. In such scenario far better solution is attempt to send long ball toward center because there is space there and if ball comes to our player it can be dangerous to them if not we are at least setup and in shape for defending. All hopes Ange will adapt his tactics are extinguished.
First goal vs Bayern fell after yet another I think 4th mistake in dangerous area, second and third after set pieces on back post. Bayern had far more dangerous attacks then Spurs. We could see something that looked like penalty for Bayern in first half which was not given as well as wide of goal shots from promising positions or missing balls by Bayern players just when they should just kick it in goal. They overplayed us really badly. Result of 2:3 doesn't show happening on the pitch.
Attack is also problem because we are not making big number of chances. Some players are badly out of form and can't do much forward. We can score goal only if we take ball away from other side in dangerous areas. When it comes to actions and combinations to make chance Spurs are very thin.
Let's talk about individual players who show themselves big time. First is Archie Gray who confirmed he's not ready for Premier League football. Number of balls he has lost is to big. He's making to many bad passes and he's bringing team mates into trouble.
Djed Spence is massive hole on left side. He's good with the ball, but he is surely not solution or rotation option for left back!
Radu Dragušin is dancing on the edge of red card. He made one yellow card which has been forgiven, then desperate start near edge of the box which hit opponent when he got yellow. It was somewhere between yellow or red and only thanks to fact that two team mates were in line with him he didn't get red. He is good player, but need to watch himself from cards. Last season he danced on the edge of making penalty couple of times.
Pape Matar Sarr is giving me Davinson Sanchez flashbacks in defending. He made an assist for opponent goal against Korean all star team without any player near him. He misjudged height of the ball for like half meter against Bayern and that resulted in second goal. He has big problem in defending and need to work a lot on that aspect of the game.
Kuluševski scored two goals yesterday, but it was so obvious his passing skill is massively betraying him. At least 2 times he could send good pass to team mates in great position for scoring, but his balls were bad, not accurate. He's incapable of sending quality low cross on back post like Werner and Johnson can. He also abandons marking of his man after set pieces very easily. Third goal for Bayern is consequence of scorer escaping him to do easy tap in on back post! In previous game after corner he elegantly moved forward while ball was in possession of Bayern on other side and left two players on our left hand side all alone! He can be striker in emergency situations, he's useless on the wing and he has big problems in defending when he is in the middle of midfield. He needs to improve his defensive game without ball dramatically and to work on his passes.
Maddison is still not himself and a part from one shoot which ended wide was invisible yesterday just like in previous game vs Bayern. Son is way off form too, way how he lost ball in front of the box in one situation in first half was embarrassing for player who pretends to be a "superstar".
Johnson and Werner are good in sending low balls inside 5m on back post when they have space and are good in positioning and fast, but they can do very little when serious opponent who denies them space is in front of them. They are not top level footballers.
The best player I saw yesterday and in previous game was Lucas Bergvell. Eighteen years old is baller and complete footballer. He takes away balls from opponents like Mickey Van de Ven and his IQ when he is in possession of ball and his passes are very very good. Swede is already very serious player despite young age. Eighteen years old viking knows where to move to take ball from opponent and where and how to pass, thinks very quickly and his balls are very accurate. You could see that on Tottenham second goal yesterday. Problem is Ange who "loves to give chance to young players" is still picking up out of form Maddison instead of baller Bergvell. From time to time I think even if Spurs have young Jamal or Messi they wouldn't be starters "because they are too young". Clubs like Manchester United or Arsenal don't have problems like that.
With all that in mind I can only say that this combination of way too high high defensive line, not quality or out of form attackers, problematic midfielders, bad back line passers, manager stubbornness is not ready for start of the season. At this point I'm not sure we can win against Leicester away. I'm scared before that match. After dread, fear and panic show in first half of match against Bayern I'm afraid this is beyond repair. Manager who will come after Ange will have very heavy task.
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