Do Tottenham lack discipline?

With the recent emphatic defeat at the hands of Arsenal, its clear to see that the momentum Spurs achieved and confidence they gained through the first half of the season is waning. No one really expected the message to come in such dramatic style, but its clear now that Harry Redknapp will have to galvanise his side back into winning ways, otherwise they will put themselves back into a scrap for fourth place over the coming weeks.

The gap that Tottenham pulled out in third is now proving crucial as they find themselves in a tricky run of games at a time where they have players missing or not fully fit. From the start of the season it is clear that they were living by their motto of ‘To dare is to do’, as they raced ahead of several competitors in the league to mount their challenge for the title. They did this through a number of eye-catching performances which served to enhance their reputation as a stylish team, with stand out players such as Bale, Modric and Adebayor taking plaudits. However in recent games, the experimentation and modification of the starting eleven and tactical implementation could have been to the detriment of the team.

The initial success came from predominantly playing a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Van der Vaart sitting just behind Adebayor, Modric and Parker sitting in central midfield with Bale on the left. Even without Van der Vaart, Spurs showed their capabilities through the introduction of Saha against Newcastle. However, moving Bale in-field behind the striker proved to be a step too far, and the structure of the side appears to have been weakened. Not just this, but the changing of tactics during the game, particularly against Arsenal, made it even more unstructured and muddled. A Tottenham side which can be so efficient and organised on its day, now seems prone to losing shape and cohesion if the opposing team adopt the correct approach.

The game against Arsenal was a perfect illustration of why Tottenham need to take on a structured and disciplined approach over the next few weeks, both mentally and tactically on the pitch. Spurs embraced a 4-4-2 from the outset, which appeared to work well because the strikers did a good job at moving the Arsenal defence around and creating space. However, it was easy to see that Spurs didn’t have the run of the midfield and the likes of Modric were not able to dictate the play in these areas. Arsenal’s extra man in midfield left Spurs a bit unstructured and unprepared for the onslaught that ensued. Tottenham had no real defined approach, they weren’t a solid defensive unit able to drop and contain Arsenal’s attacks, and they couldn’t get the time and space to dictate the flow of the game on the ball either.

When Sandro was brought on with Van der Vaart, Spurs completely lost their discipline and it was immediately noticeable. Their vulnerabilities were exposed and highlighted for the first time in quite a while. Arsenal had the weaponry in the likes of Walcott and Van Persie to counter-attack and catch the opposition on the break. Sandro consistently went awol from his holding position and the Tottenham team left space and opened up when they pushed forward. In future games, they will have to go in with a structured approach and retain this through 90 minutes. They have Man United, Everton and Chelsea coming up, none of which will be forgiving if Tottenham break up and leave them with gaps in behind.

Without Parker, through suspension, they need to be particularly careful because he is the main player to instil rigidity when the opposition come at them with the ball. However, if they overcompensate and have central midfielders sit deep, their attacking play becomes narrow and isolated. Not only do they need to be given the correct job to do from the outset, the players need to stick to their roles and focus on building a dominant team display as a unit. There’s no problem having flair and creativity in the attacking third for example, this can be Spurs’ biggest weapon, but there has to be an underlying shape and tactical awareness to facilitate it throughout the 90 minutes.

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