Trying to understand Tottenham is an impossible task, and always has been. For starters, consider this: prior to this weekend, only Liverpool and Chelsea had scored more goals than Ange Postecoglou's side. Only Liverpool and Arsenal had conceded less. Only these three teams had a better goal difference. They were first, second and third in the Premier League.
Tottenham is now in eleventh place.
A 4-0 win over Manchester City. Another convincing win at Old Trafford. Won 4-1 against Aston Villa and West Ham.
And yet they also suffered a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace. Another, this week, in Bournemouth. A home draw against Fulham. A 2-1 defeat at home to Ipswich, the Tractor Boys' first win in 22 years.
No wonder Postecoglou looks like a broken man. No wonder the fans are angry.
But how? Why can Tottenham beat the big clubs but be toppled by those they should beat, other than just shrug your shoulders and say, 'Well, it's just Tottenham, innit…'
TOTTENHAM REALLY IS NOT AN OWNED TEAM
Postecoglou wants his teams to play from the back. In this column, Mail Sport recently revealed how Tottenham play the shortest goal kicks of any team in the division.
Only Manchester City had more ball possession this season. The problem is… Tottenham are still not a possession team. They are still at their best when they don't have the ball. Their nine goals from counter-attacks are the most of any team this season.
Of the seven games in which they had the most possession this season, Tottenham won once, against Everton. They lost five to the others and drew against Leicester, which they almost lost. Four points.
Of the seven games in which they have had the fewest, it has been five wins, one draw and only one defeat. Sixteen points.
His team consists of fast wingers who like to jump forward during the break. They don't have that many midfielders who can get a slot from deep with the ball at their feet.
On the list of midfielders with the most passes into the final third before this weekend, James Maddison is the first Tottenham name to reach 16th, with players from fourteen different clubs above him.
ROAD DAY BLUES
Those big wins at the Etihad and Old Trafford are the exceptions to the rule under Postecoglou.
Ange's side have lost eight of their last 12 league games, but their problems extend much further.
Throughout his reign at Spurs, he has won 65 percent of his home games in the Premier League and only 35 percent of his away games.
In the 26 home games under Ange's tenure, Spurs have shot 151 more times than their opponents, with a goal difference of +21. Along the way, in the same number of games, they have had just two more shots than their opponents and scored just five more goals.
For a team that thrives on the counter, despite how much their manager wants them to keep the ball, struggling on the road goes against the usual theory that the home side are more likely to come at you and allow you to hit them on half-time.
Home teams even give Tottenham more ball possession than when they play on their own field.
Spurs have more passes on the road, but less in the final third. They have more ball possession, create fewer chances, have fewer shots and fewer touches in the penalty area.
They also give their opponents many more chances than at home, especially along the right flank.
Only three teams lose possession in their own third away from home more often than Spurs, and under Postecoglou, Tottenham's opponents have had more than double the number of shots after winning the ball high up the pitch – and more than three times as many of their shots end up in the Spurs net.
You can't press when you have the ball. But you can be under pressure.
“We've let another game of football pass us by, and a lot of it we brought on ourselves,” Postecoglou said after the defeat at Bournemouth. 'We are not doing ourselves any favors by letting the opposition play the game they want.'
That leads to mistakes. This season, Tottenham have made almost twice as many mistakes leading to shots in away games than at home, but crucially all seven mistakes on the road have occurred in their own penalty area.
You can't make mistakes like that and not pay the price for them in the end.
NO FIGHT WHEN IT COMES FORCE
Accusing Tottenham of not having the courage to fight when things get tough is a bit of a lazy cliché these days, but the facts this season are this: when Spurs win, they win big. If they don't win much, they often lose.
Take their six league wins this season. Two for four goals, three for three goals and one for two. All six of their defeats came by one goal.
Postecoglou admits that his team lacks 'leadership and maturity'. Only two of Tottenham's outfielders are over 30. Only six of them have played more than 100 Premier League games. The Arsenal squad has 13 outfielders in the 100 club. Manchester City has twelve.
Meanwhile, three of the four players Daniel Levy signed in the summer were teenagers.
BLADES ARE TOO DIRTY
Spurs don't concede much, but they don't win the close games because they don't keep enough clean sheets. Only one in their last 22 home league games, a run dating back to November last year. Since then, no team in England's top four has recorded fewer clean sheets than Tottenham.
Tottenham have now fallen behind thirteen times in 2024, one shy of a Premier League record for a calendar year.
At least if they give in at home, that won't be the end. It actually makes a difference. The Spurs have achieved nine points this season due to losing position on their own field. Away from home, zero. If they fall behind on the road, like at Bournemouth, it's curtains.
For once it doesn't just have to do with set pieces. For all the talk about Tottenham's Achilles heel, they have only conceded three goals from corners this season. That's the same as set-piece King Arsenal.
ARE THEY CUT?
Tottenham looked exhausted at Bournemouth on Thursday evening.
Eight Postecoglou players have played more than 900 league minutes this season; Before the weekend, only Newcastle had more. There are plenty of other teams on eight, but none are playing as intensely as Postecoglou wants his Spurs side to compete.
No team sprinted more than Tottenham during the first fourteen games. Only the Cherries covered more distance. No team has won more possession in the final third than Spurs.
Of the players with more than 900 league minutes, Tottenham were the only team with two players in the top five for distance covered per 90 minutes: Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke.
No one has put more pressure on their opponents this season than Solanke. No wonder he fell to his knees after Spurs knocked City out of the Carabao Cup.
No wonder that Tottenham is struggling with injuries. Postecoglou is without first-choice central defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero and is now also without Ben Davies.
For a team playing at full capacity, this puts pressure on squads, performances and, crucially, results.
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