Waking up and seeing Tottenham Hotspur sitting third in the Premier League table can feel like you never really woke up at all. Yet, after a better-than-expected result out of Merseyside, here we are. The first battle between Everton and the North London squad at the Blues’ new digs did not disappoint. And how could it when you walk away with three points and a clean sheet?
Despite the 3-0 final scoreline, the game felt very even throughout, with each team taking a half to seize the attacking momentum. Although Tottenham’s lead and most of their attacking momentum came in the first half, Everton started to build pressure on the Hotspurs late in the opening period. If it weren’t for Mickey Van de Ven’s second set-piece goal of the night, the outcome of this match could have been very different.
An Attack Without a Cause
There are no other words to describe Tottenham’s offense other than lacking. Every pundit and every fan knows that creativity with the ball in open play for the Spurs is the biggest BUT when it comes to their current position in the table. The Sofascore performance ratings for Brennan Johnson (6.7), Mohammed Kudus (6.4), Xavi Simons (6.8), and Kolo Muani (6.3) paint a grim picture of the Spurs’ attack against the Toffees.
Over the first ten minutes, Tottenham exhibited awkward pressure with a very faint semblance of an attack strategy. Rodrigo Bentancur’s run down the right flank and his cross into the box was the most exciting chance of the choppy sequences, but overall disappointing, fizzling out before a shot could materialize. Djed Spence, the only defender to score below an 8.0 in Sofascore’s performance rating, attempted a few times to advance the ball into the left channel, but instead of finding teammates joining the attack, he seemed to drift further and further back until he was double-teamed and lost possession.
The long ball strategy eventually created scoring chances, but not through open play. The first opportunity came around the 18th minute when Porro delivered a well-hit ball to Muani down the center channel. Muani won the ball, carried it deep, and earned a corner. Mickey’s first goal followed. Was this the plan? Probably not, but it eventually capitalized on the Spurs’ strengths, which everyone knows are their set pieces.
The attacking sequences that led to their next goal-producing corner were quite similar. Spence, spotting an open Johnson down the right flank, delivered an arching pass that set Johnson up perfectly to make a slick one-touch move with the ball, splitting two defenders and winning a corner. The first corner led to another corner, which Mickey would again hammer home with his head.
It’s hard to deny the prowess that the Spurs currently possess when it comes to scoring goals off set pieces. In EPL play, Tottenham has netted 18.75% of its deadball passes, a massive increase from the 10.45% they finished with last season. Currently, only Chelsea has a better dead-ball goal conversion rate. But how much longer can they live and die by set pieces before the well runs dry?
In Defense We Trust
Wall-cario notching back-to-back clean sheets in less than 5 days certainly stymies (or at least temporarily pushes aside) any offensive woes the Spurs are percolating at the moment. Although only two saves were required from him against the Blues, Guglielmo Vicario’s status as an elite goalkeeper in this league is definitely getting harder to deny. His point-blank denial of Beto’s exceptional bicycle offering from Iliman Ndiaya’s cross will send chills down your spine. Over the last two matches, he accumulated 10 total saves —9 of which were inside the box —and prevented 3.88 goals. Keeping him healthy is a must at all costs.
However, unlike the previous game against Monaco, the defensive backs and the midfielders showed up relatively strong. They should be given their flowers for weathering the momentum storm Everton unleashed on the Spurs in the second half. Everton’s attack pressured mainly down the sides, trying to get Jack Grealish involved as much as possible. Any attempts by the Toffees to enter the box through the center were quickly thwarted by the excellent scissoring defending pair of Bentacur and Palhinha. When they were able to find a way into the middle box through a cross, Van de Ven, Danso, and Porro all took turns addressing, each blocking at least one shot and clearing the ball out of danger at least 5 times. Danso put up a whopping 19 clearances in his first outstanding performance as a Hotspur.
After allowing Monaco to accumulate 2.45 expected goals against them mid-week, this was exactly the performance Thomas Frank needed from his defense. Although Danso’s lack of consistency in this type of form may be something that nay-sayers will point out, Spurs fans should take a little solace in knowing that if either center back were to suffer a lengthy injury, there is a version of Danso that can step right in and maintain a solidified front.
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