london – Tottenham were nervous, they struggled, they pushed, but the huge goal barrier remained stubbornly unbroken. While that may be true as Spurs spent $400 million in the summer, this is still not a team that flows all the way from one end to the other.
First, the good. With Jan-Paul van Herk and Mateusz Fernandez around, getting the ball forward is no longer the painful battle in the midfield trenches it once was. There was plenty of energy on the wings, too, and despite some wobbliness with the ball at Antoni Kinski’s feet, Tottenham looked less vulnerable without the ball than they had for much of the past two seasons. “I would be the best coach in Italy,” said Roberto De Zerbi with a smile. “Two games [following on from the draw at Nottingham Forest]two clean sheets. “
Judging from what happened outside the two penalty areas, they were worth more than the points they gained in the 0-0 draw at home to Everton. Unfortunately for De Zerbi, few Premier League games are won outside the box. What matters is what happens when you see the whites of the goalkeeper’s eyes. That’s where Tottenham look, well, well, as their manager puts it, a bit supportive.
“There is a word in Italian that literally means, if we come out of lockdown, I think the team is very strong. We can score goals, we can win games.
“That was it when I came last season, you know? Shit, I repeat. I have been inactive, but realistic. Now let me explain, I’m sorry for the results, but progress is not immediate. Building a team is not immediate.”
Didn’t get a decent shot right away either. It wasn’t until Lucas Bergvall almost hit the shot into the bottom corner in the 89th minute that Tottenham Hotspur said they really tested Jordan Pickford, and even this opportunity was given to them by England’s No. 1 star. Tottenham’s pursuit of a first goal of the Premier League season has been harrowing, and not just for those on the pitch.
After the final whistle, a placard held high read “Goal Goal Please”. Two shades of blue, a color consistency between the lines, a pair of badges: this wasn’t hastily thrown together in the bathroom at halftime. Someone made a special trip to N17 to intercede with their team.
By the time the final whistle blew, others were less willing to ask. Facing an increasingly angry home crowd, Spurs raised the question of whether it’s possible to truly control a game when you’re not threatening to keep your opponents on their toes. They left the field to boos, and De Zerbi gave Matisse Telle a very public drill that seemed to have to do with his positioning when he caught the pass.
“He’s a striker who can shoot shoulder to shoulder,” De Zerbi said. “Forwards have to keep their eyes on the goal.
“I love Mattis as a player and as a man. There’s no problem with that.”
A very noteworthy incident that occurred later that sparked the ire of fans was that Ter received the ball near midfield, with his back to goal, and immediately knocked the ball back to the defender. However, this is not an isolated incident. Moments earlier, Lucas Bergvall burst through Everton’s body and twisted the ball to Mohamed Kudus, but he fell to the deck before receiving a lateral pass straight back to him.
After a brilliant start with Fernandes and Archie Gray taking turns breaking from the inside right, Spurs were in trouble. De Zerbi is always ready to be patient and then aggressively move the ball forward when his opponent attacks. Against opponents like Everton, who quickly came to the conclusion that they would rather not chase Van Herk and Mickey van de Veen, the challenge would be to break down a static defence.
That looked well beyond a team that finished the game with 0.64 expected goals (xG) from 14 shots on goal. Pickford made just two saves, neither of which came from shots inside the box. Van Herk’s shot at the back post from Andy Robertson’s free-kick was Tottenham’s only shot worth more than 0.1 xG (0.14 to be precise). Their four defenders combined for five shots. Their frontcourt trio only shot three.
cbs sports
Even more curious is how well Tottenham performed the rest of their attack. They created 37 touches in the penalty area, 50% more than the Premier League average last season. Fernandes looked lively from the start and you can imagine how the 22-year-old will develop into the kind of midfielder who doesn’t need the extra touches he took today.
However, much of Tottenham’s spending has been on more high-profile items and they can’t say they didn’t get what they expected. Savio, like Savinho, is a player who receives the ball in dangerous areas but often doesn’t do enough. His game set the tone early on when Vitaliy Mykolenko blocked his cross. Savio had time and took it, so much so that Mykolenko could fight to stop the next attempt.
In 63 minutes, Dominic Solanke had no shots and no assists, and his 11 passes were worth only 0.01 expected assists. You can tell Omar Mamouche is used to following better forwards. This is a rather personal assessment, and for good reason. It didn’t take long for the overhauled team to find a rhythm with the eleven. De Zerbi firmly believes that time will be a great ally for him.
“We started the season too late,” he said. “A lot of players have gone to the World Cup and Australia has had a lot of injuries. [on the pre-season tour]. Mateusz Fernandez, Mickey van de Veen, Dominic Solanke. We bought two players very late, Savio and Mamouche.
“I started training with this team two Thursdays ago. I think our physical condition was not enough. We played well for the first 30 minutes and then maybe there was more energy.” [dropped]. Maybe we didn’t score, maybe we made some players lose a little confidence.
“We have to be not positive but realistic. If we extend this part of the game, 30 minutes, to 70 minutes, 80 minutes, 90 minutes, I think, I believe, we will win a lot of games.” For some Spurs fans, clearing the goal jam may be enough for now.