Madrid draw shows improvement against the elites

Real Madrid are comfortably the most formidable opposition Spurs have faced in the Mauricio Pochettino era.

That they came away way from the Bernabeu with a draw – even if it was reliant on some truly outstanding saves from the great Hugo Lloris – was not just an extraordinary result, but also an indication of how much Pochettino’s Spurs have improved in fixtures against the very best over the years.

Here’s a look-back at the games played against the season’s toughest opponents year-on-year since 2014-15, and how the performances have developed and improved over time in these Spurs tactical reports.

2014-15 v Chelsea

Jose Mourinho’s title-winning Chelsea side was easily the best opposition an in-transition, somewhat crude Spurs team had to face in the 2014-15 season, so it came as a surprise when they came out victorious in a 5-3 thriller on New Year’s Day.

That performance an early indication of what Pochettino’s bold pressing game was capable of, and the first world class performance from a then 21-year old Harry Kane, but Spurs’ open midfield and fragile defence was still apparent in the three goals conceded, and had been brutally exposed at Stamford Bridge one month earlier in a decisive 3-0 defeat.

2015-16 v Dortmund

In a season where all the major powerhouses misfired, paving the way for Leicester City to miraculously win the Premier League, the real test of Spurs title-contending side of 2015-15 came abroad when they were drawn against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League Round of 16.

Spurs had wowed in the league with a high-octane pressing game that was both balanced and steadfast in defence and explosive and intricate in attack, but could they go toe-to-toe against a team among Europe’s very best? The answer was no, as they were overwhelmed 3-0 in an away tie that could have been even worse, and limped to an uneventful 1-2 defeat at home. It’s worth remembering the caveat that several of Spurs’ best players were missing (rested for the title push), but the way they were carved open so easily in the former game suggested that Pochettino had yet to figure out how to adapt to such unaccustomed superior opposition.

2016-17 v Chelsea

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea were a formidable force last season, establishing an air of invincibility in the winter months after switching to an inspired and widely-imitated 3-4-3 formation.

When they came to White Hart Lane in January, the eventual league winners were on the brink of a record-breaking fourteenth successive victory – a run that had included a 2-1 victory over Spurs at Stamford Bridge, in which an early goal and impressive first half pressing display proved unsustainable as Chelsea hit back with an equaliser and winner either side of half-time.

A very impressive performance from the players and intelligent tactical set-up from Pochettino denied Chelsea that record, however, with Spurs adopting their own take on the 3-4-3 shape, and identifying and exploiting a weakness in Chelsea’s defence to score twice through Dele Alli headers up against the smaller Cesar Azpilicueta, and win 2-0.

3-4-3 went on to become Spurs’ go-to formation in big ties and, though unsuccessful in the freakishly high-scoring 4-2 F.A. Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea, has established a more balanced blueprint for how to set-up against elite opposition.

2017-18 v Real Madrid

Spurs were drawn in the group of death in this season’s champions league, pitted against a very good Borussia Dortmund outfit and, most terrifyingly of all, defending champions and gargantuan superclub Real Madrid.

The quality of the opposition prompted Pochettino to again tinker with the formation, to solidify the defence and favour a counter-attacking game over the usual high press. After a successful defensive strategy against Dortmund a few weeks prior, Spurs lined up in Madrid as a deep-lying 5-3-2, and the switch was again a resounding success, as Spurs held on for a 1-1 draw.

That they pulled off his result despite being forced to field a second string central midfield featuring Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko goes to show just how much more adaptable, cautious and solid the team now is since similar absentees in that position resulted in them being blown away against Dortmund two seasons ago. The return tie in a couple of weeks time will indicate just how this team’s ceiling is.