Our defense and pressing off the ball

[ItsBoris]

Despite not scoring many goals so far, I think there is a great positive that is being lost among the despair. That is that we look terrific in defense and our pressing is excellent.

We're the only team that I've seen that have managed to prevent good footballing sides like Swansea, Everton and Arsenal (to an extent) from playing their game. Last season we looked a bit shaky playing with AVB's high line but this season it has looked solid as fuck, and ignoring the West Ham result we've only conceded 2 goals in 9 games.

I think that this is cause for optimism, because it shows that AVB's defensive coaching at least is starting to take effect and it is very impressive so far. If he can be as successful at developing our attacking play as he has been at transforming our defense then we will be very, very good. My hope is that so far we have been focused on getting the defensive shape and pressing right, and that in coming months we will start seeing a fluent attack built on top of this.

Still, I'm very impressed with how we've managed to suffocate good teams. If we could just get our attack to gel a bit then I will be very happy.

 

[wpd659]

Was thinking of starting a thread like this.
Well done

I honestly think when we start to click and start to score goals anything could be possible.

 

[carpediem991]

Credit for that, definitley. Without it we could find ourselves in the 2nd half of the table.

But our hopeless attempts to score goals is comparable to my attempt of scoring a goal on fifa. A bit embarrassing when you look at our incredible squad...

 

[ItsBoris]

Was thinking of starting a thread like this.
Well done

I honestly think when we start to click and start to score goals anything could be possible.

I'm definitely hopeful, but of course it's hard to say without being in AVB's mind and knowing what his plan is. He might just think it's fine the way it is haha, but I doubt it.

In a way it reminds me of Man City in Mancini's first season. I remember they weren't great in an attacking sense in 2010-11, but then the next season when they won the title they exploded in an attacking sense but kept the same defensive solidity that they had before. Hopefully it works the same way for us.

I also think that scoring 3 or 4 goals against someone would trigger an improvement in our attack by giving us some confidence.

 

[jambreck]

Good thread.

13 clean sheets in 17 games is barely credible.

Is this really Spurs we're talking about?!!

 

[Mr Pink]

Very good thread. Refreshing to be honest, and agree with every word of what the op has said.

 

[Mr Pink]

I thought are pressing was immense in the first half today, we made Everton look extremely average.

We tired second half though and Everton managed to press us quite well and it fell apart until the latter stages when we grabbed the initiative again. Paulinho and Holtby were jaded.

But yes, its an incredible transformation. We've been use to the opposition roughing us up a little in these types of games and that was usually enough for us to roll over and lose the game.

Long gone are those days and its something I'm really enjoying even though the attacking football isn't pretty on the eye - yet.

So like the OP alludes to, if we can become more fluent and ultimately start creating more clear cut opportunities we could be the real deal in the not too distant future. I really hope people are patient and they should be as we continue to pick up points.

 

[dontcallme]

Yesterday reminded me a lot of last season's opener against Newcastle. We pressed superbly in the 1st half, dominated play but didn't create.

In the 2nd half we tired and they had the better of the 2nd half.

Fortunately we have improved defensively now and were much more solid in the 2nd half when we had our backs against the wall.

We stopped the pressing game for a while after that as we didn't have the players for it.

We do now and our defensive record is showing that. Now our challenge is to turn our periods of dominating the ball into goals.

If we'd got the opener in the 1st half last season against Newcastle I believe we would have won, same for yesterday.

 

[Legend10]

The next few weeks will see where we are really at, games against City and UTD will show if our defence is what we hope it is and we'll find out more about our capabilities as a whole in these games.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Vlad has really been impressing me, so smooth and composed on the ball

 

[Flashspur]

Good OP

All great sides are built on rock solid defence so AVB is starting with first things first. The attacking fluidity will come...i know its frustrating but patience will be rewarded!

 

[ardiles]

We did this with several players having played 120mins just a few days ago while Everton, playing at home,
had a full week's rest.

With Kaboul, Capoue and Rose to come back, our defence will only get better to provide enough cover for any tired legs.

More game time for Lamela and Eriksen should also improve our attack.

 

[Messy11]

Despite not scoring many goals so far, I think there is a great positive that is being lost among the despair. That is that we look terrific in defense and our pressing is excellent.

We're the only team that I've seen that have managed to prevent good footballing sides like Swansea, Everton and Arsenal (to an extent) from playing their game. Last season we looked a bit shaky playing with AVB's high line but this season it has looked solid as fuck, and ignoring the West Ham result we've only conceded 2 goals in 9 games.

I think that this is cause for optimism, because it shows that AVB's defensive coaching at least is starting to take effect and it is very impressive so far. If he can be as successful at developing our attacking play as he has been at transforming our defense then we will be very, very good. My hope is that so far we have been focused on getting the defensive shape and pressing right, and that in coming months we will start seeing a fluent attack built on top of this.

Still, I'm very impressed with how we've managed to suffocate good teams. If we could just get our attack to gel a bit then I will be very happy.

Agree completely and posted the same thoughts in my player ratings yesterday. AVB has made major changes in the front 5, but the back 6 have developed into a formidable unit, which will provide the stability and consistency necessary to achieve a top 4 finish.

The 2nd stage is the integration and gelling of the attacking unit, which has been hampered in part by injuries to key players (eg Rose who will be crucial to our overlapping play on the left) and AVB not yet knowing his best 3 AMs, as well as the influx of so many players.

It is worth remembering that none of the front 5 (ie the CM2, AM, LF, RF and CF) who would ultimately be in most peoples starting 11 (from Soldado, Lamela, Townsend, Eriksen, Chadli, Sigurdsson, Holtby, Paulinho) were playing with any regularity for Spurs last season. It is no surprise that they haven't clicked yet after only 10 games. We should be very pleased therefore that the defensive unit is playing so well and that we are sitting in 4th, joint 2nd and having played the league leaders away from home. The rest will come...

 

[Kingstheman]

When Arsenal won games 1 0 and flooded midfield, that was praised and our flamboyant style was derided.

Now we have a defence tighter than tight and it is awful, soul destroying stuff?

Build from the back, people, remember that old adage?

 

[Spurs1960]

Despair is to strong a word, dissatisfaction with a small aspect of play yes, despair no.

Our midfield is clearly the best defensive midfield in the league, they shield the centre-backs brilliantly and yesterday starved service into Lukaku to make defending for Dawson and Chiriches fairly easy.

The high line works but it's the organisation in front of the centre-backs that's key.

 

[Wardy]

Good OP

All great sides are built on rock solid defence so AVB is starting with first things first. The attacking fluidity will come...i know its frustrating but patience will be rewarded!

Definitely agree. If you were taking over a team, you'd want the defence sorted first and then work on the attack

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Despair is to strong a word, dissatisfaction with a small aspect of play yes, despair no.

Our midfield is clearly the best defensive midfield in the league, they shield the centre-backs brilliantly and yesterday starved service into Lukaku to make defending for Dawson and Chiriches fairly easy.

The high line works but it's the organisation in front of the centre-backs that's key.

Agree with this, we're very close. Just need to work on our play in the final 3rd. We have lots of attacking talent so I'm sure in time we can do it. I don't believe this lack of goals will continue all season, just as we can't always expect our defence to keep clean sheets.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

True, but being really good at defending is really fucking boring.