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A running joke amongst premier league fans isn’t even a joke it’s an entire club. The Tottenham Hotspurs have yet to win any major trophies since the early 2000’s, this continued let down streak has led to the club being known not for great football but for failing to finish first. In terms of the premier league at large Tottenham have maintained a relatively high position on the table yet last season saw them fall quite dramatically. The internet jumped right onto the lack of success predicting the fall of a team once part of the big six. Yet this season Tottenham has managed to turn it around producing excellent results that have catapulted them to the top of the league table. But when did this change occur, how are they tactically different, and can the club finally win a major trophy are all major questions at the forefront of the clubs success.
The 22-23 season was a rough one for Tottenham as they lost against teams like Bournemouth, Sheffield, and tied against now relegated South Hampton. The club seemed to be back to its old losing habits in a friendly against Barcelona where they lost 4-2 but they came back in full swing with the start of the season. Tottenham’s season started off with an action packed but ultimately disappointing 2-2 draw with Brentford. The club managed some impressive wins against various opponents including a struggling Manchester City, and a controversial game against Liverpool. Tottenham also managed to tie current premier league it-girl Arsenal. The club continued its winning form week after week and finally after an unlucky streak from Manchester City Tottenham got pushed up to its current position at the top of the table. After last year's failure and the loss of key striker Harry Kane seeing Tottenham move up in fine playing form came as quite the shock for fans across the world.
While many see this sudden rise as shocking and unprecedented it’s really the culmination of a long running plan. Looking at the way Tottenham play now we see a well practiced machine that pushes the ball up the field with high possession rates. Last season Tottenham played a unique 3-4-3 in an attempt to strengthen their midfield, yet rather than seeing a solid mid field we saw an inflexible and unopened midfield. In a game against Arsenal in January the club had hard positions that failed to interact productively which led to loss for the team.
A few games later however there were some notable changes that started to create the basis for the winning form we see now. Specifically in their game against Bournemouth in April we saw a team interacting with each other at least attempting to make boxes in the midfield. Within the game there was still room for improvement with players not having great passing rates and failing to properly rotate around each other but progress was being made.
This progress continued into the end of the season. In a game against Leeds in May the club made clear and occasionally successful attempts to create boxes in the mid field. We saw players passing at higher rates and starting to move around each other with higher flexibility. The issue became maintaining that midfield control as the team often created then almost immediately collapsed the boxes in crucial moments. Tottenham’s formation began to present an issue to its new found progress as the season hit its wrap up stage. While many saw last season as one of failure it was simply a step in the plan working now.
The strategy we see in Tottenham now is one sharing some ideas of positional play. Positional play which most often operates under the 4-2-3-1 style, the formation Tottenham has been favoring this season, has become so popular in part because it works so well. That being said, the style takes a while to implement. Tottenham certainly has not gone full positional play as they’ve managed to work in their own unique twists that cater to their players while still keeping the fundamental idea of constant passing lanes open. In their most recent game versus Luton Town before the club went down a man they were a prime example of what the base strategy has become. Beautiful passing boxes in the midfield with a rotation of players moving both as a unit individuals, incredible 1v1 play, and wide coverage all make up the clubs new winning form.
Outside of just Tottenham there’s been quite a few change ups in the premier league which have helped bring the club to the top. Notably Manchester City are on a recent losing streak after losing two games in a row for the first time in almost five years. Arsenal, last year's top competitors, found the early stages of the season quite a challenge but have now worked themselves up to a shaky second. The struggles faced by the other teams have opened the gateway for Tottenham’s strategy to really take center stage. The stars seem to have finally aligned in Spurs favor, the issue about stars however is they forever change.
Getting to first place and staying top of the table till seasons end are two completely different beasts. Just ask last years would-be winners Arsenal how quickly a lead can turn into a loss. In terms of this season Tottenham doesn’t have too much of a lead with the club only two points ahead of Manchester City. Matchweek 10 see’s the table's top three face off with winnable games for Tottenham and Arsenal and the ever famous Manchester Derby for second place City. While City definitely have it in them to beat United, Tottenham plays Crystal Palace, a team who’s been struggling this season. Tottenham would be the favorite to keep first spot since they have a point advantage, however if City wins even if Tottenham ties it will come down to goal difference where City has the advantage with the club scoring more than two goals in 37.5% of the matches they’ve won. Compare this with Tottenham’s 12.5% while there’s many different aspects to both games. One thing is for sure the title race will be close this weekend with both sides needing a win to be safe.
While their future seems to be secured for at least another week Tottenham faces an uphill battle when it comes to finishing in the top spot. After all Manchester City is no stranger to a comeback. Despite the challenge that the club faces in coming weeks they remain in great strategic and player standing. Tottenham’s last season struggle may have been seen as a low point the club has taken this season to prove good strategy takes time and more importantly is worth waiting for.
