Tottenham’s Set-Piece Defending Under Scrutiny

Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur manager, has taken on the responsibility of fixing his side’s vulnerabilities at set pieces. After Gabriel Magalhães headed home Bukayo Saka’s inswinging corner during Sunday’s north London derby, Postecoglou was quick to acknowledge the importance of improving Spurs’ set-piece defending. It marked the tenth time that Tottenham have conceded from a dead-ball situation under his leadership, a statistic that continues to shadow the manager’s otherwise promising start.

Postecoglou candidly stated, “It’s my burden to carry,” following a match that saw Arsenal emerge victorious, earning their third consecutive win at Tottenham’s home for the first time since the 1980s. The Brazilian defender outmuscled Cristian Romero to score the decisive goal, leaving Spurs once again frustrated by their inability to defend a crucial set piece.

Tottenham’s Set-Piece Weakness: A Growing Narrative

This defeat has reignited conversations around Tottenham’s weaknesses in defending dead-ball situations. Critics have pointed out that Spurs have struggled consistently in this area under Postecoglou, with the manager himself having previously avoided extensive discussion on the subject. In stark contrast, Arsenal have developed a formidable set-piece strategy under Mikel Arteta, largely thanks to the expertise of their set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover.

“For some reason, people think I don’t care about set pieces… it’s a narrative,” Postecoglou said, showing his frustration with the constant questions on the issue. When asked if the team had done any additional work on set pieces leading up to the Arsenal clash, he responded: “I know, I know, for some reason people think I don’t care about set pieces, and it’s a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that.”

Improving Tottenham’s Defence: The Postecoglou Approach

Despite the narrative surrounding Tottenham’s set-piece problems, Postecoglou remains focused on addressing the team’s overall play. “We work on them all the time like we do for every other team. You know that they’re a threat, as I said, for the most part, we handled them really well today, but we switched off for one and we paid a price, and you learn from that and move on,” he explained.

The set-piece coaching responsibilities at Tottenham have been primarily handed to Nick Montgomery, who joined Postecoglou’s staff this summer. While Montgomery has worked tirelessly on both attacking and defensive set pieces, it’s clear that there is more work to be done.

Reflecting on Arsenal’s goal, Postecoglou admitted that the defensive lapse was not solely down to Romero. “It wasn’t just Romero, a couple of others switched off as well. The delivery was spot on, and Gabriel is always a threat in those situations. We paid a price for it.”

Missed Opportunities: Tottenham’s Struggles in the Final Third

Set-piece defending was not the only issue in the match, as Tottenham struggled to convert their dominance in possession into clear-cut chances. Despite holding 63.7% of possession, Spurs found it difficult to break down an Arsenal side missing key players such as Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard. Dejan Kulusevski came closest to scoring for Spurs, with two efforts turned away by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya in the first half.

“We had some good opportunities, but we could have created so many more,” Postecoglou lamented. “We just wasted some of our good play. Similar to our other games where we haven’t really had that conviction in the front third to take advantage of… whether it’s us winning the ball back or getting into that front third and nothing coming of it. You keep opposition teams in the game when you do that.”

The Road Ahead for Tottenham

Postecoglou is acutely aware of the work that lies ahead. Despite the early promise shown by his team, the issues in defending set pieces and capitalising on possession need to be addressed for Spurs to progress.

“We’ve just got to keep working at it, that’s my job,” Postecoglou reiterated. “I’ve just got to keep giving the feedback to the guys, trying to guide them in the right way to make them see that for all their dominance in the game, you need to really be clear-headed in those kinds of moments, and that’s my role to try to guide them in the right way.”

As Tottenham look to improve their results in the Premier League, it’s clear that set-piece defending will remain a key area of focus for Postecoglou. His emphasis on learning from mistakes and moving forward offers hope that Spurs will eventually overcome this recurring issue.

The Arteta-Jover Connection: Arsenal’s Set-Piece Success

In contrast to Tottenham’s struggles, Arsenal have become a set-piece powerhouse under the guidance of Mikel Arteta and Nicolas Jover. Since joining from Manchester City in 2021, Jover has transformed Arsenal into one of Europe’s best teams at dead-ball situations, a fact highlighted by Gabriel Magalhães’ goal in Sunday’s derby.

Arteta was full of praise for Jover following the match, acknowledging his significant contribution to Arsenal’s success. “In his field, in other fields, as a person. The relationship that we have, that’s why I made the decision to bring him to City when I was there and then to Arsenal,” Arteta said.

“Him and the staff have injected a belief into the players that there are many ways to win football matches. This is a really powerful one. It’s given us a lot, so big compliment to all of them,” he added, underscoring the importance of set-piece proficiency in modern football.

While Arsenal continue to thrive in dead-ball situations, Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou have their work cut out as they look to address the weaknesses that have become all too apparent in recent weeks.