‘Exceptional’ – Graham Roberts offers one reason why Tottenham’s defence has drastically improved

After Tottenham Hotspur threw away a three-goal lead to West Ham United in the final ten minutes of the London derby in October, many questioned if Spurs were good enough defensively to compete with the other top sides in the league.

Since then, Jose Mourinho’s men have tightened up defensively and have staggeringly conceded just one goal in their last six Premier League games.

Their last three results have been particularly impressive, with the Lilywhites managing to keep clean sheets against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, and picking up seven out of the possible nine points from those games.

The Tottenham backline once again put in a near-flawless display in the North London derby yesterday afternoon after they were happy to defend deep in the second half, challenging Arsenal to break them down.

The away side could not find a way through the Spurs defence and were mostly restricted to hopeful crosses into the box.

Graham Roberts, one of the best central defenders in the club’s history, hailed the showing from the back four, labelling them as expectational after Tottenham’s 2-0 win over the Gunners.

He suggested that former Spurs captain Ledley King has contributed to improving the backline since he joined Mourinho’s coaching staff at the end of last season.

Spurs Web Opinion

While Tottenham’s defensive improvement is largely to do with the change in system since the West Ham game, one cannot deny that the likes of Alderweireld, Dier and Aurier have improved individually. In Aurier’s case, he looks a lot calmer and composed in one vs one situation and seems to read the game better, which could be partly down to King’s influence.

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