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North London derby: Can Arsenal take advantage of Tottenham’s issues?
Tottenham Hotspur have had a rather peculiar start to the 24-25 Premier League season.
For large periods they have overwhelmed and dominated teams only to lose control of games when it seemed unthinkable.
The robust, high-octane style of Ange Postecoglou means Tottenham often commit lots of men forward and have plenty of moments in attack.
Apart from Nottingham Forest, they have taken the most shots in the league with 48.
Against Leicester, Spurs remarkably had seven corners in the opening 19 minutes as the pressure was relentless. They scored but couldn’t put the game to bed and after Jamie Vardy equalised, the momentum was never regained.
It was a similar story against Newcastle, with Spurs controlling possession and dictating most of the game.
Bizarrely, the game swung after a long pause in the first half due to a linesman getting injured. Newcastle scored on the break and went on to win the game scoring a second goal after Spurs had poured too many men forward.
Postecoglou has lamented the lack of clinical edge in front of goal: "We could have tested Nick Pope (Newcastle goalkeeper) more, with better decision-making and not just the opportunities we did create."
This, coupled with the double-edged sword of being extremely risk orientated, has led to problems, problems Arsenal can look to exploit in the upcoming North London Derby possibly.
Squandering Chances
Continuing from the quote above, Postecoglou explained it isn't just the fact Tottenham are fluffing their lines in front of goal; "I thought there were another six to ten moments where we could've created even more opportunities."
It's not so much that Spurs are having difficulty finding space in the opposition's half, it's more that when they get there, the decision-making from a player has been poor. Whether it’s choosing to shoot instead of pass, taking too long with an action or just general poor finishing.
As Heung-Min Son receives the ball it is a 3v3 with Newcastle short at the back.
But by the time he decides to pass left to Wilson Odobert, Newcastle have gotten enough men back to snuff out the attack.
In another example, Son once again is bearing down on Newcastle’s box with options left and right, but after hesitating, he ends up shooting with the ball rebounding off a Newcastle centre-back.
Lloyd Kelly struggled against Brennan Johnson throughout the game and despite the image below being a frequent sight of Johnson getting in behind the full-back, the cross was never crisp or dangerous enough for a goal.
When you think of Postecoglou and Tottenham, they're associated with attacking flair and freedom but that doesn't matter if you lack a killer instinct.
It doesn't help that summer signing Dominic Solanke went off injured in their opener at Leicester. Spurs’ attack thrives off of relentless chaos, but as a result of the pace of their attack, the final product is being rushed.
The North London Derby is full-blooded, played at a ridiculously high pace, which could once again hinder Postecoglou's side.
If Tottenham continue to fail to make the most of their openings, Arsenal could benefit through the spaces left by Spurs to counter, particularly as it seems Mikel Arteta will be forced to field Thomas Partey and Jorginho in midfield to shore things up with Declan Rice (suspended) out and Martin Odegaard a doubt.
Risk vs Reward not paying off
Since Postecoglou came in, he hasn't budged from his risk-orientated style. Regardless of the opponent, Tottenham have stuck to the plan of pressing high with the priority being to attack heftily in numbers.
This can lead to issues though, as if you’re always trying to attack rather than take the sting out of the game it makes you susceptible to counter-attacks, the second goal Newcastle United scored being a perfect example of this.
The distances between Tottenham's players in attack and build-up mean that there aren't so many options for Romero to pass to. In behind Newcastle's midfield five, there are four players with space limited, making them easy to defend against.
When there isn’t an option on, the ball is turned over and Tottenham are left scampering back short in numbers with six Newcastle players attacking.
At the beginning of Postecoglou's reign, Tottenham attacked with fluidity, at times now it feels as though lots of players push up in attack leaving fewer options in build-up. They are crowding eachother out.
Pushing up lots of players in attack is a good idea only if you know how to get the ball to them in space.
We’ve seen Arteta’s team be multi-functional and go into a mid/low-block when needed if wanting to hold on to a lead or see a game out. They were forced to do so at home to Brighton and could do the same against Spurs on Sunday, taking advantage of them over-committing and thus having fewer options in the build-up.
By being compact, Arsenal could narrow the passing lanes to James Maddison and Yves Bissouma, and wait for turnovers to pounce.
Tottenham’s performances have been good and yet they only have four points from nine to show for it.
"It’s about performance. If you perform like we have the first two weeks, and you keep producing chances, more often than not, you'll win."
Postecoglou’s feeling is that if Spurs keep playing the way they are, they’ll have a successful season.
Against a team like Arsenal though, any sort of attacking dominance must be converted or they will be punished, and we'll see yet more images of Postecoglou on his knees with his hands on head in frustration.