A new identity

Much has been made this season of the increased levels of fitness of the Spurs squad, and Mauricio Pochettino’s notoriously demanding training regime has been praised for the remarkable number of late turnarounds the team has pulled out this season. The second half against Man Utd was a typical example; whereas the toils of the hectic Christmas schedule took its toll on an increasingly exhausted Utd, the Spurs’ players came into the game more and more as the full-time whistle approached.

But one particularly revealing indication of Spurs’ new playing style has been less documented. With an average of 22.5 per game, Spurs have made the second highest number of tackles in the premier league this season, up from 19.8 per game in 2013/14 and behind only Southampton (who are of course building on the work began by Pochettino).

A high number of tackles per game is indicative of an energetic playing style where the opposition is constantly pressed when in possession. This is the way Pochettino is renowned for playing, and the stats back-up the feeling that he is beginning to get the Spurs players to put his philosophy into practice.

[linequote]Against Everton was the first time the now recognised first choice spine of Lloris-Vertonghen-Fazio-Bentaleb-Mason-Eriksen-Kane[/linequote]

To do so successfully inevitably take time, but Spurs are beginning to up the ante. During the first twelve games of the season only an average of 20.9 tackles were made per game, whereas the last seven have seen a drastically higher average of 25.3.

The 2-1 win against Everton was the first of these seven games, and looks in hindsight to be a key turning point in the season. Not only was it widely recognised as one of the first times Spurs had genuinely played very well this season, but it was also the first time the now recognised first choice spine of Lloris-Vertonghen-Fazio-Bentaleb-Mason-Eriksen-Kane had all started together.

These seven seem to have become Pochettino’s favourites, those best equipped to handle the athleticism he demands. Ryan Mason especially is an exemplary Pochettino player – both dynamic and technical, he has made the joint-sixth highest average number of tackles per game (3.5) in the league.

Harry Kane, too, has endeared himself to the new manager thanks not only to his goals, but also his relentless running. As youthful players recently graduated from the academy they have energy to burn and are particularly open to new ideas, and therefore perfect for a manager attempting to impose his style on a team.

Kane’s high-energy is typical of another key aspect of Spurs’ play this season – pressing high up the pitch. Pochettino’s method is not just to make lots of tackles, but to make them where it hurts the most, i.e., close to the opposition goal. Southampton may have made more tackles in total than Spurs, but the percentage of the Saints’ tackles in the opposition half (20.4%) is much lower than it is for Spurs (25%).

[linequote]Erik Lamela has improved from 1.2 tackles per game last season to 2 per game this season, this seventh highest among forwards in the league[/linequote]

Much has been made of the contribution Kane’s relentless running has made to trouble the opposition high up the pitch, but other attackers have been just as impressive.

Christian Eriksen’s average of 1.6 tackles per game is up significantly from just 1 per game last season, and, remarkably, he has ran more (210.1km) than all but three players in the league this season. Then there’s Erik Lamela, who has similarly improved from 1.2 tackles per game last season to 2 per game this season, this seventh highest among forwards in the league (the players ahead of him are all recognised grafters: Oscar, Gouffran, Lallana, Milner, Cabella and Alexis Sanchez).

With youthful players covering lots of ground and tackles being made high up the pitch, Spurs at last seem to finally be forming an identity, with home-grown talent at the fore. It’s still early days and results need to get better, but this new Pochettino-led Spurs could yet become the long-term vision fans have for so many years craved.