We were lauded for the stylish passing football that has made us title challengers for the previous two successive seasons, however according to an article in The Telegraph it is time for us to mix it up a little, vary tactics to take a more direct approach at times in order to grind out results against relegation strugglers something Hugo Lloris thinks it is worth considering.
The article says our captain cut a frustrated figure once again as West Bromwich Albion did what most other lower-ranking teams have done when visiting Tottenham’s temporary home at Wembley. It adds the Baggies, a team without win in 11 games, defended deeply, allowing our lads to have plenty of possession in two-thirds of the pitch, and hoped to score on the break.
The article tells how that opportunity came earlier than they expected, when former Spurs star Jake Livermore nicked the ball from Dele Alli and set Salomon Rondon clear to hold off Davinson Sanchez and trickle a shot in off the far post in the fourth minute.
It was a “sloppy” start as Lloris conceded, but we recovered enough composure to gradually put together the sort of passing game that has seen off Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool in style at Wembley.
The article adds however that our record against Premier League strugglers at the national stadium is another matter, and the polar opposite to the way they dealt with them at White Hart Lane last year. When We played Bournemouth, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Swansea and West Brom last season, they won all five games, scoring 16 and conceding just one goal, however this year at Wembley, We have dropped six points and scored only four goals against the same opponents, conceding two, and are so far behind leaders Manchester City that realistically another title challenge looks unlikely , a point conceded by Mauricio Pochettino in his post-match post-mortem.
It adds that Lloris however, believes the solution is more urgency from his own team-mates. “When you play against teams who defend very deep, you need to have the capacity to create spaces and get players in the box one against one: our captain said.
He continued “Try to get free kicks, penalties, put more pressure on them than we made today in front of their goal. It’s about intensity and energy.
He added: “It’s a good thing to have the quality to make passing and moving, but sometimes you need to take on a player and be more aggressive in the box, and that’s what we missed a little bit. If you are more aggressive in the box – in the way you run, demand the ball, pass the ball, kick the ball – it’s difficult for the opponent. But we need to stay calm and positive and carry on, because there are still a lot of games ahead of us and a lot of points to play for.”
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