‘To Dare is to Do’ goes with Tottenham’s famous slogan. Except there’s not much to worry about in north London these days.
Their disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Fulham was another late one in a season where a lead sacrifice move has become the norm for the Lilywhites. As soon as Ivan Cavaleiro ‘s head made the bare bulge, the usual complaints on social media began to appear from Spurs fans.
‘Score early, sit back and invite pressure, surrender late, repeat in next game’.
It’s a simple observation, but a very accurate one as well. Tottenham have conceded eight goals between the 75-90 minute mark – half of their total. They have also dropped 10 points after leading in the final 20 minutes.
Jose Mourinho blamed his players after a late fall against Fulham
Spurs have now dropped 10 points from winning Premier League positions this season
Six of those points have come against teams in the bottom half – Palace, Newcastle, Wolves and now Fulham. They are third on the list of teams that have earned the most points from winning positions. The two mainstays are Brighton (12) and Sheffield United (11).
After the game, sullen looking Jose Mourinho pointed out the blame for ‘individual mistakes’ after watching his side miss a handful of good chances to take the lead from both Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who hit the woodwork.
‘Three or four big chances in the first half to get a different result,’ he said. ‘The biggest chance in the second half would have been to kill the game and then again we accept a goal that is entirely possible to avoid.
Fulham were allowed to return to the game as Spurs failed to control and kill
‘There are things that are individual, that depend on individual characteristics and individual errors. Basically I can’t say much more than that. ‘
It’s easy to forget that Spurs aren’t conceding too many goals – just 16 in the league so far – which makes them second-best in the division. Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld are not the best defenders in the world but they have the potential to create a strong unit.
But when you are forced to defend for much of the game it is only a matter of time before you give hope to the opponents, and that is what Tottenham will do. There were doubts about Dier ‘s signing of Cavaleiro for the goal but this is a game that should have been taken by Spurs with a neck scratch and a win.
Instead he was stuck at 1-0 in the 73rd minute and Fulham ‘s impressive second half show finally paid off. The Bothies deserved a point, but only because they were allowed to get back into this competition. It was the first time Scott Parker’s men have earned a point from a position they lost this season and that says.
Half of the goals the team has conceded have come in the last 15 minutes of the game
Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara has agreed that Spurs are struggling to cope with sitting back – saying their defenders were not good enough for what Mourinho did. at Chelsea once.
‘I don’t think they’re good enough at the back to hold leaders 1-0,’ O’Hara said talkSPORT.
‘I’ve always said this: by Eric Dier, [Davinson] Sanchez no [Toby] Alderweireld – they are not John Terry, no [Ricardo] Carvalho.
‘They’re not the players Mourinho has had. I think with our offensive capabilities, you have to go again. You have to look to keep scoring.
‘What worries me is that we are doing the same thing and expecting different results. Ideally, we are not losing, but the draws are killing us. ‘
Mourinho’s defensive tactics hinder his team, one of the most talented in the league
By the end, it looked like Fulham, or Tottenham, as if they were going to win the game. Sergio Reguilon went away to point out what he thought was a late winner just to be blamed for being upside down, with celebrations quickly turning to shame. It was only after they surrendered that they showed real energy or a desire to score again.
On paper, Spurs have one of the best teams in the league but it is not being used properly. Son and Kane are having electric seasons but it feels like the burden is just on their shoulders to set goals, while the rest of the team makes them sit back and hope. to open until they get in the way.
There are no prizes for guessing that these two are the team’s top scores in the league. Third highest score? Tanguy Ndombele le dithis.
So is it as Mourinho says, with the players making too many mistakes, or is he asking too many? Does the buck really stop him? We have seen his ‘sit-back’ approach several times this season to varying degrees of success. Working in a win over Man City, he earned a 0-0 stand at Chelsea.
Harry Kane (center) and Son Heung-min (behind) are under too much pressure to set goals
Portugal’s negative style goes against the club’s philosophy of attacking teams with style
But he failed miserably in their 2-1 loss to Liverpool as they conceded a last-minute set goal to Roberto Firmino, not to mention the late fall in draws to the Wolves and away to Crystal Palace.
Players make mistakes, but when put under constant pressure the potential becomes wider.
There is a saying that the more your ball is, the less chance the opponents have of scoring. Clearly this is one that Mourinho has overlooked. This tactic may work in winning a Spurs award but they need to bring a little more creativity into this team – which is full of quality – and try to take control of games.
When Mourinho was announced in November 2019, there were doubts from fans who were cautious about his defensive style. Spurs are known for attacking teams and winning with style. Great Bill Nicolson – the club ‘s most successful manager – once said:’ It’s not just about winning, we need to win well. ‘
The team has fallen too far late and fans are getting upset
Mourinho lives and dies with his tactics but his Tottenham system just doesn’t work
Mourinho’s current system goes against Tottenham’s core philosophy of attacking teams, although many fans have admitted that they will turn a blind eye while he completes the their 12-year-old painful thirst. With Spurs in one final and going strong in two more, that’s a real opportunity – but is it enough?
Players can’t be happy with what they have been asked to do on the pitch – Dele Alli allayed fear in a Tottenham fly-on-the-Amazon documentary last year, criticizing Mourinho’s tactics. after one loss and questioning why they had played so straightforward.
After drawing to Fulham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, he accused the team of not having ‘heroism’ and said Spurs should not ‘stand in our own box and defend’.
‘We need to do better in both sides of the game,’ he said. ‘More courage, more focus on team organization and being strong as a team.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg called on Spurs to show ‘more heroism’ after Fulham draw
‘That doesn’t mean you have to stand in your own box and defend, it means the team is tight, the team is close together. I had a chance, I had to score. There are many details that we need to improve. ‘
Mourinho is as firm as he gets – he lives and dies with the techniques he knows have earned him countless honors. But it has too many flaws in its current setting and relies on too many margins for it to work.
This title was really there for Tottenham to win this season, and they led the board for several weeks at the end of 2020.
They’re still only six points off as it is but unless Mourinho is looking for another way to get the most out of his players, a place in the top four can be hopeful.