HomeFeatured ArticlesPatient Spurs brim with confidence against Payet-less Hammers

Patient Spurs brim with confidence against Payet-less Hammers

Harry Kane is the one stealing the headlines after his two goal performance sunk a caged West Ham side, unable to exit their defensive shell and relieve Tottenham’s relentless pressure. However, it wasn’t just Kane. Reducing the team to his goals, no matter how important, would be a mistake, as that fails to appreciate the improvements and long-term progress made by the squad as a whole.
It was yet another complete team performance from the North London side. Eriksen shone more quietly from the left, letting Kane reap the rewards and once again step into the limelight. Son contributed by giving hints of what he can do between the lines, as the Spurs welcome his creativity.

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The defense continues to click, last season’s defensive woes now a distant memory. According to Opta, Tottenham has one of the best defensive records in the Premier League, only trailing Arsenal and Manchester City in expected goals conceded per match. This improvement is due in equal measures to the cohesion of their back-line, new midfield personnel, and a more coordinated pressing game under Pochettino now taking shape.

The team has equaled the club record for most weeks without losing (12), rolling to their third best ever start to the Premier League. To find their last defeat, you have to go all the way back to their season opener. Progress is being made and it very much looks like a team transformed. The bedrock of their successful season thus far is in their patient approach. A relatively young side, though gaining experience together, the sense is that Tottenham is persistently building towards something more.

This patient approach was exemplified in the first half of their dominant 4-1 victory on Sunday over West Ham at White Hart Lane. Tottenham kept the majority of the possession, with Bilic side’s 4-5-1 dropping into a midblock and hoping to counter. Yet, given the ease with which Pocchetino’s team passed around the Hammers during the matches first few minutes, Slaven Bilic ordered Andy Carroll to get between Alderweireld-Vertonghen to disrupt the Spurs build-up.

West Ham, enjoying their best ever start to the season, and with several away victories against all odds, has seen their form drop slightly in recent weeks, especially since Payet’s injury. While Lanzini and Zarate may have showed the occasional glimpses, Payet’s presence is so important because he is able to help West Ham maintain possession and transition from defense into attack. With him gone, Tottenham’s pressure was constant: West Ham was forced to make clearances, not passes, without their key outlet.

And yet Bilic was correct to point out that this shouldn’t serve as an excuse for such a poor performance. “We knew before the game that we were going to miss Payet. Of course we were going to miss him. But we didn’t lose 4-1 because Payet wasn’t playing. We have enough quality to replace him” reflected the West Ham manager.

Perhaps more worrisome was Jenkinson’s performance at right back, exposed after he was easily turned by Kane for the first goal, a constant worry throughout the match. His inexplicably dreadful season so far has raised questions whether the club needs a new right back come January. Carroll, despite winning several aerial duels, looked sluggish, unable to discomfort Tottenham’s pair of Belgian center backs.

The stark difference in approaches is best seen in the number of passes in the opposing team’s third. West Ham managed 88 passes in the final third while Tottenham achieved almost double that at 157. The shots total, 22 to 10 in Tottenham’s favor, was also as lopsided as the final scoreline suggests, reflecting the Spurs unquestionable overall superiority in this particular London derby.

Bilic’s tactical plan looked fine at the start, as the team solidly defended for the first twenty minutes, hardly allowing Tottenham any space on the ball. Yet, the dribbling of Dembele, the positional awareness of Dier, Pocchetino’s pressing, and the advantages created on the wings from Eriksen and Son were too much for West Ham to handle for long periods of time. When all was said and done, the score was comfortable enough for another youngster Onomah to make his debut. It was a fitting end to a London derby in Pocchetino’s image.

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