Cristian Stellini points finger at individual mistakes rather than his tactics at Spurs

Cristian Stellini has insisted that Tottenham’s tendency to drop deep after taking the lead is not due to the tactics but rather down to the tendencies of individual players.

The issue of not pressing the opposition high up the pitch and allowing them to dominate possession is one that has plagued Tottenham right from the start of last season.

Cristian Stellini
(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Much to the frustration of the fans, Spurs have tended to be happy to play on the counter-attack once they go a goal up.

Unsurprisingly, that was also the case against Bournemouth on Saturday as the home side decided to take their foot off the gas after Son Heung-min put them 1-0 up in the 14th minute, thus allowing the Cherries to come back into the game.

However, Stellini has put Tottenham’s loss on Saturday down to individual errors at the back rather than down to the tactical set-up.

When asked why his side always tends to drop deep after taking the lead, the Italian told Football.London: “It’s a habit we have, it’s not the first time, it’s a long time that we do this.

“But we have to be perfect in the defensive situation.

“Today we were not so perfect because we allowed them to score with two mistakes.

“This is a problem, it’s not a tactical problem, it’s an individual problem, a mistake.”

Spurs Web Opinion

It is utterly ridiculous to suggest that our inability to keep the ball is not down to the tactical setup.

The fact that we do not press high up the pitch is clear evidence that the system is not designed to dominate possession.

In addition, when we do have the ball, the players are clearly instructed to play it across the back three and to invite pressure.

The lack of options, once the ball goes into the midfield line, is clearly down to the formation that we employ.

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