Pressing problem: Is Pochettino changing approach this season?

[mawspurs]

Tottenham's pressing has been a feature of their progress under Mauricio Pochettino, but they have done things differently lately.
UEFA's newly-published technical report is full of interesting insights into last season's Champions League, but there is one statistic that stands out particularly strongly.
According to its findings, more than half of the goals scored in the competition - 185 out of 366, to be exact - came from possession regained in the opposition's final third.

Source: Sky Sports

 

[Maske2g]

We haven't been a pressing team for over 2 years.

 

[kungfugrip]

The stats confirm what everybody thought was the case. It throws up a lot of questions. Will Harry ever get his mobility back? Will Dele be able to press, give 100% without pulling his hamstring again? Does Eriksen care enough to press hard when required? Thankfully Sonny and Lucas should be fine, but they are rarely on the pitch together and we need to press as a team, not individuals.

 

[Shadydan]

We lost the press when we lost Dembele and Wanyama, it seemed like the forward players would gain confidence if they were on the field, like they were happy to press sometimes in the wrong zone knowing that those two would clean up afterwards.

Also missing the speed of Walker and Rose (back then)

 

[Maske2g]

The stats confirm what everybody thought was the case. It throws up a lot of questions. Will Harry ever get his mobility back? Will Dele be able to press, give 100% without pulling his hamstring again? Does Eriksen care enough to press hard when required? Thankfully Sonny and Lucas should be fine, but they are rarely on the pitch together and we need to press as a team, not individuals.

Harry looks mobile to me. But that is not relevant when you are asking him to stand on the D surrounded by 3 defenders for 15 home games per season.

 

[Shadydan]

Harry looks mobile to me. But that is not relevant when you are asking him to stand on the D surrounded by 3 defenders for 15 home games per season.

He's definitely not pressing as much as he was, his sprints are well down since 2 seasons ago.

 

[double0]

Yet another indirect dig a Harry Kane. Our full backs since we sold Walker hasn't been of the required standard. Our midfield control hasn't been the same since we sold Dembele and Dier's continual injuries. Our number one press player was always Lamela followed by Alli Eriksen Kane so from the four players mentioned, Kane Alli Lamela injuries over the last season and half speaks for itself.

 

[Maske2g]

He's definitely not pressing as much as he was, his sprints are well down since 2 seasons ago.

That seems to be a team ethos, that may may not be based on his fitness..

Central midfields don't press high behind the forwards very often. Also feel like everytime he has been injured he came back before ready, and it was painfully visable.

 

[ginola007]

Just a knee-jerk reaction piece. For some explicable reasons, Spurs had never started well under Poch, and only came good in late November. Indeed, during the season when we were challenging Leicester, we were fourth from bottom after three games. This of course is something we have to change.
While there's no denying something is not right with the camp so far this season, the only bad result was the home lost to Newcastle. And while Kane might have have been pressing or sprinting as hard as he did three seasons ago, he scored three goals when he couldn't even get one previously. So let's shake off this doom and gloom and get behind the team. As Poch said, the season starts now.

 

[Locotoro]

We've only ever been able to press effectively when we're had a solid defensive base and fullbacks that are capable of getting high up the pitch.
What have we had for the last 24 months almost?

No Dier or Wanyama playing as an anchor and able to split the CBs. Therefore the CBs play closer together, the fullbacks don't go so high up the pitch. Our press gets easily circumvented and becomes ineffective.

If we have that holding player then our attacking position when we lose the ball looks more like a traditional 3-4-3 (I appreciate the visual is grossly oversimplified):

LW------FC------RW
LB---CM---AM---RB
CB-----DMC-----CB

When we don't have that player our players end up taking more of a diamond-shaped 4-1-2-1-2. This space leaves more space for opposition to play triangles from deep and also play out into the channels.

LW------FC------RW
-----CM----AM----
LB-----DMC------RB
-----CB-----CB

I don't know if Winks can ever play that Anchor role effectively but that is what is missing from our play.