The key lesson from the Leicester game
The Leicester City game demonstrated a problem we are having, namely our inverted wingers don't know how to play the role.
Currently on the right we have a central midfield player learning the role as we can't fit his dribbling style of lay elsewhere, ERik Lamela however has shown the same problem as has Andros Townsend. On the other flank Nacer Chadli also demonstrates the same problem.
We developed this problem under Andre Villas-Boas and it has continued under Mauricio Pochettino and explains why we have been looking for an attacking wide man who carries a goal threat. What is the problem, our shooting or more precisely where we shoot from.
Mousa Dembele has two shots in the first 28 minutes against Leicester, he is clearly trying to add to his game now so he has upped his mental game. On both occasions he cut in and had a shot from distance, 20 to 25 yards. It was a general problem that we were shooting from too far out in a hit and hope style.
The inverted winger should not only be able to go outside his man, but cut inside and shoot as well. Erik Lamela when he plays there looks to do it all the time, but he too either shoots from 20 yards or passes sideways.
Ben Davies had a difficult time defensively and kept giving away free kick to Leicester's left-footed Algerian right wide attacker Riyad Mahrez. Our wide men should be studying his game, he hit the post with his right foot and scored with his left, but the key point is where did he do it from? He did it from inside the area on both occasions, he attacked the penalty are whereas our wide men attack the space outside the penalty area.
The opposition force us there as they are happier the further we shoot from goal. Our problem is we don't like to take men on to get into the area from wide, we prefer to keep the ball and pass sideways looking for the mystical better opportunity that generally doesn't exist.
You all recall Andros Townsend, he'll pick up the ball 40 or 50 yards from goal turn inside and look to shoot centrally from 25 yards. Shots from distance were all we did under AVB, Bale helped us out as he was rather good at it, in his final season a 48% shooting accuracy from distance I believe, the following season Townsend was at 19% for the same skill.
Our wide men must carry a goal threat or we become easier to defend against, cut off Harry Kane and force us to shoot from distance. The opposition are doing it successfully and we don't have enough answers, partly because we don't possess a great threat from wide areas. Take a look at the video and you'll see what I mean. Look where Dembele shoots from (28 mins) and look where Mahrez shoots from (69 mins & 82 mins), then as k yourself when was the last time you remember one of our wide men shooting from those positions, how many tiles last season did you see Lamela do it?
Currently on the right we have a central midfield player learning the role as we can't fit his dribbling style of lay elsewhere, ERik Lamela however has shown the same problem as has Andros Townsend. On the other flank Nacer Chadli also demonstrates the same problem.
We developed this problem under Andre Villas-Boas and it has continued under Mauricio Pochettino and explains why we have been looking for an attacking wide man who carries a goal threat. What is the problem, our shooting or more precisely where we shoot from.
Mousa Dembele has two shots in the first 28 minutes against Leicester, he is clearly trying to add to his game now so he has upped his mental game. On both occasions he cut in and had a shot from distance, 20 to 25 yards. It was a general problem that we were shooting from too far out in a hit and hope style.
The inverted winger should not only be able to go outside his man, but cut inside and shoot as well. Erik Lamela when he plays there looks to do it all the time, but he too either shoots from 20 yards or passes sideways.
Ben Davies had a difficult time defensively and kept giving away free kick to Leicester's left-footed Algerian right wide attacker Riyad Mahrez. Our wide men should be studying his game, he hit the post with his right foot and scored with his left, but the key point is where did he do it from? He did it from inside the area on both occasions, he attacked the penalty are whereas our wide men attack the space outside the penalty area.
The opposition force us there as they are happier the further we shoot from goal. Our problem is we don't like to take men on to get into the area from wide, we prefer to keep the ball and pass sideways looking for the mystical better opportunity that generally doesn't exist.
You all recall Andros Townsend, he'll pick up the ball 40 or 50 yards from goal turn inside and look to shoot centrally from 25 yards. Shots from distance were all we did under AVB, Bale helped us out as he was rather good at it, in his final season a 48% shooting accuracy from distance I believe, the following season Townsend was at 19% for the same skill.
Our wide men must carry a goal threat or we become easier to defend against, cut off Harry Kane and force us to shoot from distance. The opposition are doing it successfully and we don't have enough answers, partly because we don't possess a great threat from wide areas. Take a look at the video and you'll see what I mean. Look where Dembele shoots from (28 mins) and look where Mahrez shoots from (69 mins & 82 mins), then as k yourself when was the last time you remember one of our wide men shooting from those positions, how many tiles last season did you see Lamela do it?
It is a key area we need to address. Part of our problem is that statistics tell us we shoot from too far away and let teams shoot from too close to the goal, if memory serves there were only two teams that allowed sides to shoot from closer last season. That issue doesn't look like getting resolved and won't be while our modus operandi is to shoot from distance centrally or perpetually wait to create a chance through a packed defence.
If we add a goal threat from wide then the full-back has got to be more aware of us, at the moment they can just tuck in to prevent gaps for us to exploit happy in the knowledge when he does have to rush out to our wide men they are only going to do one thing, if we run at them diagonally into the box then he has to be more aware earlier, he has to get to the player with the ball earlier which in turn creates earlier gaps between he and his central defenders, raising the potential for exploitation.
If Dembele is to play the wide role, and Pochettino has indicated that he does see him there, then he has to be taught how to play the role properly and not how Lamela and Townsend play it. He is not going to learn the key aspect of where you attack the opponent to create that shooting chance from them, they don't do it often themselves.
How long will it take before we see, particularly from the right, a player cut in and shoot the way Mahrez did yesterday? Change that and we suddenly become a more dangerous attacking force and that creates uncertainty and mistakes, you only have to look at our defence to see that.
OFFICIALLY LICENSED PRODUCTS
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Cap
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Birthday Card Players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Wall Clock
If we add a goal threat from wide then the full-back has got to be more aware of us, at the moment they can just tuck in to prevent gaps for us to exploit happy in the knowledge when he does have to rush out to our wide men they are only going to do one thing, if we run at them diagonally into the box then he has to be more aware earlier, he has to get to the player with the ball earlier which in turn creates earlier gaps between he and his central defenders, raising the potential for exploitation.
If Dembele is to play the wide role, and Pochettino has indicated that he does see him there, then he has to be taught how to play the role properly and not how Lamela and Townsend play it. He is not going to learn the key aspect of where you attack the opponent to create that shooting chance from them, they don't do it often themselves.
How long will it take before we see, particularly from the right, a player cut in and shoot the way Mahrez did yesterday? Change that and we suddenly become a more dangerous attacking force and that creates uncertainty and mistakes, you only have to look at our defence to see that.
OFFICIALLY LICENSED PRODUCTS
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Cap
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Birthday Card Players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Wall Clock
3 comments