Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle has highlighted a key tactical flaw in the team’s defensive approach.
After a slow start to the season, Tottenham had managed to turn things around with five wins in a row across competitions. Just when it looked like Ange Postecoglou’s team were back at their best, they suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton.
The fact that they had a 2-0 lead at half-time and still ended up on the losing side has been hard for the fans to digest and the international break couldn’t have come at a worse time as they have been left mulling over that defeat. Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle has pointed out a major issue at the back that could have played a big part in their defeat to Brighton.
In a recent Premier League Productions appearance, the football pundit said via SpursWeb: “The full-back is advanced of [Timo Werner]. If you lose that ball now, then you are in trouble. [Destiny] Udogie is trying to get back. He gets back, fortunately, and they win the ball again. But that happened quite a lot in the second half.
“Then they have handed the ball over again and your fullbacks are all out of position – for me, the two full-backs going in works when the ball is further up the pitch, in the middle third and the attacking third. I can understand how that catches people out.”
Hoddle highlighted the fact that Spurs full-backs tend to push up the field and get into advanced positions even when the ball is deep in their own half. While it can surely catch opposition defences by surprise, they can find themselves in deep trouble if they end up losing the ball while trying to play it out from the back.
During the second half against Brighton, Tottenham lost the ball on quite a few occasions with both their full-backs in a very advanced position and they did pay the price. It is quite understandable to see the full-backs join the attack when the ball is in the middle third or the attacking third but Spurs tend to take way too much of risk which has led to their own downfall. While a slight tactical adjustment could help, Postecoglou doesn’t seem to be the kind of manager who will change his style irrespective of the results.
