UEFA’s analysis is full of interesting insights into the Champions League of last season, but there is 1 statistic that stands out strongly.
In accordance with its findings, more than half of those goals – 185 out of 366, to be exact – came from possession recovered in the final third of the opposition.
It is an eye-catching detail which reflects the incidence of pressing at the level of this game. The report specifically highlights the”extraordinary intensity” of all Liverpool’s press in their semi-final second-leg win over Barcelona. However, Jurgen Klopp’s men were not the only ones to gain from compelling errors high up the pitch.
The final, when Liverpool confronted Tottenham, was charged as an interview between two of the greatest exponents of pressing that was top. Curiously Spurs proceeded to capture all year to their lowest number of anxieties in virtually any Champions League match . On his own, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah accounted by way of contrast.
What felt at the time to be an anomaly – over twice as many pressures had been listed by Spurs within their second leg from Ajax – feels like the beginning of a trend. At a time when pressing is becoming more and more prominent everywhere, recent evidence indicates Spurs are going in the opposite direction.
So far this year, the high press hasn’t been there. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville described Spurs as”lethargic” during their 2-2 draw with Manchester City last month. Per week 13, they had been likewise flat from the 1-0 loss. And while they did counter-attack at speed last Sunday, their fighting match was still oddly absent.
Unai Emery’s side were able to construct in the back more-or-less unchallenged in the Emirates Stadium, which had been particularly surprising given the obvious problems they had been induced by Liverpool’s high press in their previous game. The side of klopp earned ownership at Anfield in the last third 13 occasions. At the Emirates, Spurs handled it.
In reality, Spurs have only won ownership in the third twice in four games all season, setting them 16th one of Premier League sides. Their average of 2.3 per game represents a substantial drop-off on their standard numbers. Last year , they dropped 4.2 per game, placing them fifth. In 2017/18, their typical of 4.4 per match put them .
Opta’s information for sequences that are pressed is much more revealing. Sequences are described as resistance passing sequences of three or fewer passes which end in 40 meters of their own goal. This season, Spurs have forced fewer pressed sequences (31) than any other Premier League side, averaging 7.8 per game compared to 13.2 final season.
It’s a small sample size, obviously, but it is alarmingly out of character for one facet whose pressing was a hallmark. It is not too long past that returning Watford director Quique Sanchez Flores was assessing Mauricio Pochettino’s gamers to”creatures” for its speed and determination with which they searched down possession.
What’s happened? If it is a deliberate strategy, then it isn’t working. Spurs have survived trips away to Manchester City and Arsenal this year, taking five points from their four games, but the absence of off-the-ball urgency has noticed them offer up a worrying number of chances. Only Aston Villa have faced more shots. Just Norwich have faced more shots.
It is obvious that the problems have been a source of annoyance to Pochettino. He’s cut a thwarted figure since the Champions League final, whining that his team is the most”unsettled” it’s ever been since his arrival at the club and confer with its effect on the team’s performances – especially their pressing – following the Arsenal game.
“We need togetherness,” he explained. “The team wasn’t settled and I told you from day one of pre-season I wasn’t content. The absolute most crucial issue will be to all be on the same page and the players have a good idea of how we need to move.”
An effective media requires total commitment it requires focus and team spirit. But with the mind of Christian Eriksen elsewhere, together with Jan Vertonghen strangely dropping his place and with signings still bedding , these factors have yet to be there. The cohesion of tottenham has really taken a hit and also recent evidence indicates their pressing has also.
Pochettino expects the close of the transfer window – coupled with a pause for its international break – enables Spurs to receive their rhythm backagain. But a approach takes a striker to put the tone. Is Harry Kane still that striker? Is he suited to playing in a system that was high-pressing?
It’s a conundrum for both Pochettino. There can be no questioning the attacking contribution of Kane. He’s scored seven times for golf and country alone. But in the past couple of years he has endured a string of ankle injuries as well as his game is currently evolving as a result.
Kane is still in his most dangerous from the opposition’s penalty box, but he is just as likely to be seen dropping as he’s playing the shoulder of the defender. Instead of running behind himselfhe prefers to vacate the area for his team-mates to make the most.
Kane’s development has influenced his off-the-ball job. This season, he’s averaging fewer ball recoveries and fewer tackles than in any of his six campaigns with Spurs. So far this season, he has won ownership in the final third two in 360 minutes onto the pitch.
A player who once headed the press Pochettino is no longer playing the identical intensity, and it’s perhaps no coincidence that, the last time immemorial generated the sort of breathless pressing they’ve become known for beneath Pochettino – in that Champions League semi-final second leg from Ajax in May – Kane didn’t feature whatsoever.
His return to the beginning line-up for the final was a welcome increase for Spurs, however, their intensity endured as we are told by UEFA’s technical report.
Perhaps Pochettino remains hoping that Kane will contact his intensity levels. There was in the way he won possession of the opposition half at the build-up into England’s third goal against Bulgaria on 24, psychologist. He then created another introduction for Raheem Sterling in equivalent situation from Kosovo.
But the Premier League is an entirely more taxing environment. Kane’s development suggests he knows his attributes are changing and the adjusted approach of Tottenham this season suggests Pochettino knows it. A negative whose progress has been pushed by tactics must discover a new way. For now, it remains a work in progress.
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