Spurs v Saints - a first half goal is vital

Spurs v Saints

I've been doing well with the game evaluations so far so let's see how this game is going to go.

This is a tough game, we are learning a new system, have lost 2 from 3 at home and not won in 4 games in the Premier League, the last 2 of which we haven't scored a goal in. Southampton meanwhile have won their last 4 and scored 10 goals while defensively they are the best team in the country.

TEAM NEWS

• Danny Rose (Spurs) to have a fitness test (presumed muscle injury)
• Etienne Capoue (Spurs) to undergo a fitness test (presumed muscle injury)
• Kyle Walker (Spurs) out with long-term injury
• Maya Yoshida (Southampton) remains on the injured list
• Florin Gardos (Southampton) may return from injury

Current Form Guide

(Green = win, Yellow = draw, Pink = loss)

Tottenham (8th)

Sun 5 Oct 2014 KO: 2.05 BST

Southampton (2nd)

Last 6 matches

27 Sep	Arsenal - SPUS	1-1		2-1	SAINTS - QPR	27 Sep
21 Sep	SPURS - WBA	0-1		0-1	Swansea City - SAINTS	20 Sep
13 Sep	Sunderland - SPURS	2-2		4-0	SAINTS - Newcastle U	13 Sep
31 Aug	SPURS - Liverpool	0-3		1-3	West Ham U - SAINTS	30 Aug
24 Aug	SPURS - QPR	4-0		0-0	SAINTS - WBA	23 Aug
16 Aug	West Ham U - SPURS	0-1		2-1	Liverpool - SAINTS	17 Aug

Home and Away Form Tables

Home table P W D L Pts 1 Chelsea 3 3 0 0 9 2 Southampton 3 2 1 0 7 3 Manchester U 3 2 0 1 6 4 Swansea City 3 2 0 1 6 5 Leicester City 3 1 2 0 5 6 Arsenal 3 1 2 0 5 7 WBA 3 1 1 1 4 8 Manchester City 3 1 1 1 4 9 Crystal Palace 3 1 1 1 4 10 Liverpool 3 1 1 1 4 11 QPR 3 1 1 1 4 12 Aston Villa 3 1 1 1 4 13 Tottenham 3 1 0 2 3 14 Sunderland 3 0 3 0 3 15 West Ham U 3 1 0 2 3 16 Stoke City 3 1 0 2 3 17 Hull City 3 0 2 1 2 18 Newcastle U 3 0 2 1 2 19 Burnley 3 0 2 1 2 20 Everton 3 0 1 2 1

Away table P W D L Pts 1 Chelsea 3 2 1 0 7 2 Manchester City 3 2 1 0 7 3 Southampton 3 2 0 1 6 4 Aston Villa 3 2 0 1 6 5 Arsenal 3 1 2 0 5 6 Everton 3 1 2 0 5 7 Stoke City 3 1 2 0 5 8 Tottenham 3 1 2 0 5 9 West Ham U 3 1 1 1 4 10 Crystal Palace 3 1 1 1 4 11 Hull City 3 1 1 1 4 12 Swansea City 3 1 1 1 4 13 WBA 3 1 1 1 4 14 Liverpool 3 1 0 2 3 15 Leicester City 3 1 0 2 3 16 Sunderland 3 0 2 1 2 17 Manchester U 3 0 2 1 2 18 Burnley 3 0 1 2 1 19 Newcastle U 3 0 1 2 1 20 QPR 3 0 0 3 0

Previous encounters in the Premier League has seen no draws in 10 games with Tottenham holding a slight advantage.

Tottenham wins	6
Draws	0
Southampton wins	4

Tottenham goals	17
Southampton goals	13

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS IN THIS LEAGUE

23 Mar 14 Tottenham - Southampton 3-2 22 Dec 13 Southampton - Tottenham 2-3 4 May 13 Tottenham - Southampton 1-0 28 Oct 12 Southampton - Tottenham 1-2 5 Mar 05 Southampton - Tottenham 1-0 18 Dec 04 Tottenham - Southampton 5-1 27 Mar 04 Southampton - Tottenham 1-0 20 Sep 03 Tottenham - Southampton 1-3 1 Jan 03 Southampton - Tottenham 1-0 31 Aug 02 Tottenham - Southampton 2-1

The 5 corresponding fixtures sees Tottenham with 4 victories and 1 loss, 3-2, 1-0, 5-1, 1-3, 2-1, goals for 12 goals against 7, points 12 out of a possible 15.

Of the home goals we have scored 75% have come in the first half and 75% of those we have conceded have come in the second half. Southampton away from home have scored 80% of their goals in the second half and conceded 67% in the first half.

For Tottenham at home and Southampton away the opposition score first 67.67% of the time and neither side is usually ahead at half-time, Tottenham 33.33% of the time, Southampton 0%.

At home Tottenham have spent an average of 26 minutes per game winning while Southampton away spend 10.7 minutes in front per game.

Goals Scored Table

Goals Scored Table
		P	G
1	Chelsea	6	19
2	Everton	6	12
3	Manchester City	6	12
4	Arsenal	6	11
5	Manchester U	6	11
6	Southampton	6	11
7	Crystal Palace	6	10
8	West Ham U	6	10
9	Hull City	6	9
10	Leicester City	6	9
11	Liverpool	6	8
12	Swansea City	6	8
13	Tottenham	6	8
14	WBA	6	7
15	Newcastle U	6	5
16	Stoke City	6	5
17	Sunderland	6	5
18	Aston Villa	6	4
19	QPR	6	4
20	Burnley	6	1

Goals Conceded Table

Goals Conceded Table
		P	G
1	Southampton	6	4
2	Stoke City	6	5
3	Swansea City	6	6
4	Sunderland	6	6
5	WBA	6	7
6	Tottenham	6	7
7	Manchester City	6	7
8	Chelsea	6	7
9	Aston Villa	6	7
10	Arsenal	6	7
11	Burnley	6	8
12	Manchester U	6	9
13	Liverpool	6	9
14	West Ham U	6	10
15	Leicester City	6	10
16	Crystal Palace	6	10
17	Hull City	6	11
18	Newcastle U	6	12
19	QPR	6	13
20	Everton	6	14

THBN Verdict

The Pochettino factor will no doubt be important to Southampton fans, putting one over on their former manager but it's not important in the greater scheme of things. No doubt it will be the same or a very similar side to the Arsenal game as Pochettino continues to look and see who can play his tactics and who can't.

The key to this game from a stats point of view seems to be whether Tottenham score in the first half as Southampton look likely to score in the second half, they have scored in every away game. Like the WBA game it may be a case of us having to score twice to win which, crazy as it sounds, might be easier given Southampton's tactics.

We are hopeless at the moment if a team sits, the front players don't yet have the confidence to adopt the system properly as we saw against WBA when they were clueless. It was a throw back to Wigan again so the struggles suggest it is the players and not the manager who have the problem.

ITK suggests they have grasped the system on the training field but revert to type in match situations which is exactly what I have been suggesting is happening. That is down to their mental ability although it does seem though as if we may be adopting two differing tactics depending upon our opponents, we'll have to wait and see on that one.

Currently Southampton score more goals than we do and let in fewer goals, yet we are favourites, the statistics suggest false favourites. We have to score first in the first half and may have to settle for a draw but there is no way we should be considered favourites at this stage of our development.

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