Box-to-box role a major concern for Pochettino to solve
Watching our performance last night and considering our defensive midfielders we do seem to have a bit of a problem.
At Southampton Mauricio Pochettino played with one defensive midfielder who sits and one who joins the attack. Morgan Schneiderlin is the man who lays the defensive role but supports the attacks as well.
While both players need to have the capability to switch roles, providing greater flexibility and therefore danger to an opponent, one predominantly performs the role more than the other. Our man to sit and do the unseen by many defensive work this season is Etienne Capoue, who came to us as a box-to-box midfielder.
He was chosen over Sandro, who has since departed to QPR for £10 million (£5 million + £5 million add-ons) and is rarely seen in attack. The criticism of him is that he is too slow to release the ball forward when he has won it. Defensively he has looked good though.
Benjamin Stambouli was bought, everyone assumed, because we couldn't get Schneiderlin but watching him he is another defensive defensive midfielder. His role in the Europa League team is to play the Capoue role and not the box-to-box midfielder role it seems. He is rarely seen supporting the attack. I would suggest he and Capoue are fighting over the one role.
That leaves the other midfielders playing the box-to-box role, Nabil Bentaleb, Mousa Dembele and Ryan Mason, I discount Paulinho because he is showing he simply isn't interested in playing for Pochettino so is highly unlikely to be selected for the Premier League again. He put in another I can't be bothered performance last night in a role he has played for Brazil.
The statistics for forward passing should all be similar for people playing a similar role. The figures are the Premier League statistics but I have added the 2 games that Stambouli and Bentaleb have played in the Europa League, Capoue has only had 19 minutes, Dembele 26 and Mason none in that competition.
Etienne Capoue 67.82%
Benjamin Stambouli 64.28% - Europa League 52.12%
Nabil Bentaleb 58.95% - Europa League 63.21%
Mousa Dembele 57.47%
Ryan Mason 77.14%
Ryan Mason has had only one game to compile his statistics but they are impressive. Mousa Dembele for instance played against Sunderland where we were on the front foot all the time so rarely needed to pass backwards and his forward passing statistic fr that game was 61.64%.
You would have though in s defensive rear guard action there would be plenty of passing backwards to keep the ball and waste time. Mason's statistic shows why he made such a difference when he came on against Nottingham Forest and what he offers to our midfield that the others do not. His forward passing statistics are ones to keep an eye on, if they continue to be so impressive then he'll soon be the regular first choice.
Nabil Bentaleb seem to me to be caught in the middle. His role is defensive when he plays but should it be. Against Besiktas he got forward but not enough, he made a lovely turn and pass for Harry Kane to score but perhaps isn't playing the box-to-box role enough. Because he is only 19 and hasn't finished growing into his frame it's hard to know what his eventual position will be and therefore what he is being trained for.
If he is the box-to-box midfielder in the side then he needs to get forward more, he has a shot on him and looks good further forward. At the moment he is a little frustrating but he is not the only one.
Mousa Dembele continues to frustrate, almost a wasted talent. He could be quite some player with the talent and physique he has if he had the mental side but he's too content with game to want to improve it it seems. There were glimpses last night of what I suggested in a pre-game article, get round the box and take men on there, not the half way line. When he did he caused problems so I wonder whether he should be moved back to an attacking midfielder role.
He is competent as a box-to-box midfielder, sometimes very good. He dribbles too much slowing the play down when we need to move the ball quickly and his forward passing statistics are poor.
We need to find a way to get the best out of these players, Capoue and Stambouli seem to have their roles set, Bentaleb is in no-mans land, Mason has made a promising start and Dembele may need to have his role changed.
The box-to-box position is our major problem area in midfield because the central two control the game, they determine the tempo, whoever controls the game usually wins. It rather explains why Mauricio Pochettino is so keen for Tottenham to get hold of Morgan Schneiderlin.
At Southampton Mauricio Pochettino played with one defensive midfielder who sits and one who joins the attack. Morgan Schneiderlin is the man who lays the defensive role but supports the attacks as well.
While both players need to have the capability to switch roles, providing greater flexibility and therefore danger to an opponent, one predominantly performs the role more than the other. Our man to sit and do the unseen by many defensive work this season is Etienne Capoue, who came to us as a box-to-box midfielder.
He was chosen over Sandro, who has since departed to QPR for £10 million (£5 million + £5 million add-ons) and is rarely seen in attack. The criticism of him is that he is too slow to release the ball forward when he has won it. Defensively he has looked good though.
Benjamin Stambouli was bought, everyone assumed, because we couldn't get Schneiderlin but watching him he is another defensive defensive midfielder. His role in the Europa League team is to play the Capoue role and not the box-to-box midfielder role it seems. He is rarely seen supporting the attack. I would suggest he and Capoue are fighting over the one role.
That leaves the other midfielders playing the box-to-box role, Nabil Bentaleb, Mousa Dembele and Ryan Mason, I discount Paulinho because he is showing he simply isn't interested in playing for Pochettino so is highly unlikely to be selected for the Premier League again. He put in another I can't be bothered performance last night in a role he has played for Brazil.
The statistics for forward passing should all be similar for people playing a similar role. The figures are the Premier League statistics but I have added the 2 games that Stambouli and Bentaleb have played in the Europa League, Capoue has only had 19 minutes, Dembele 26 and Mason none in that competition.
Tottenham Midfielders
Forward Passing StatisticsEtienne Capoue 67.82%
Benjamin Stambouli 64.28% - Europa League 52.12%
Nabil Bentaleb 58.95% - Europa League 63.21%
Mousa Dembele 57.47%
Ryan Mason 77.14%
Ryan Mason has had only one game to compile his statistics but they are impressive. Mousa Dembele for instance played against Sunderland where we were on the front foot all the time so rarely needed to pass backwards and his forward passing statistic fr that game was 61.64%.
You would have though in s defensive rear guard action there would be plenty of passing backwards to keep the ball and waste time. Mason's statistic shows why he made such a difference when he came on against Nottingham Forest and what he offers to our midfield that the others do not. His forward passing statistics are ones to keep an eye on, if they continue to be so impressive then he'll soon be the regular first choice.
Nabil Bentaleb seem to me to be caught in the middle. His role is defensive when he plays but should it be. Against Besiktas he got forward but not enough, he made a lovely turn and pass for Harry Kane to score but perhaps isn't playing the box-to-box role enough. Because he is only 19 and hasn't finished growing into his frame it's hard to know what his eventual position will be and therefore what he is being trained for.
If he is the box-to-box midfielder in the side then he needs to get forward more, he has a shot on him and looks good further forward. At the moment he is a little frustrating but he is not the only one.
Mousa Dembele continues to frustrate, almost a wasted talent. He could be quite some player with the talent and physique he has if he had the mental side but he's too content with game to want to improve it it seems. There were glimpses last night of what I suggested in a pre-game article, get round the box and take men on there, not the half way line. When he did he caused problems so I wonder whether he should be moved back to an attacking midfielder role.
He is competent as a box-to-box midfielder, sometimes very good. He dribbles too much slowing the play down when we need to move the ball quickly and his forward passing statistics are poor.
We need to find a way to get the best out of these players, Capoue and Stambouli seem to have their roles set, Bentaleb is in no-mans land, Mason has made a promising start and Dembele may need to have his role changed.
The box-to-box position is our major problem area in midfield because the central two control the game, they determine the tempo, whoever controls the game usually wins. It rather explains why Mauricio Pochettino is so keen for Tottenham to get hold of Morgan Schneiderlin.
Post a Comment