Sunday 27 August 2017

Three thoughts: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Burnley

Spurs's Wembley woes go on

Tottenham once again failed to live up to the occasion under the arch.

An infamously poor Wembley record has cast a shadow over the club for a long time, and there was a nervousness in all corners whenever Burnley were on the ball, from the players to the fans.

The likes of Heung-Min Son, Kieran Trippier and Eric Dier never managed to settle into the game.

It was generally a game of failed diagonals and rare vertical passes; the Clarets kept to their game plan, and Spurs couldn't crack it.

Fortune appeared to favour the brave, with Tottenham's pressure paying off early on after the break.

Dele Alli poked home from a corner, and the relief was tangible inside the bowl of Wembley stadium.

The flame that burned so brightly at White Hart Lane has long since been extinguished, and Spurs need a spark to ignite in the borough of Brent if they're to challenge for the title again.

As the game went on, each Spurs attack looked more deadly, but a second goal never came.

Harry Kane had plenty of chances, including a clear one-on-one, to break his annual August dry-spell, but the penny just wouldn't drop for the club's vice-captain.

Right at the death, Spurs were made to pay as Chris Wood netted on his Premier League debut.

Tottenham's next match at Wembley is against Borussia Dortmund, and although the Bundesliga side are more likely to come out at Spurs, they'll have to be more pragmatic and efficient in order to take the points and not be met with boos again.

Burnley strike it lucky again

An opening day victory at Chelsea shocked the world, and Burnley again took points from last season's top two.

The Clarets never really threatened until the latter stages of the game, but they knocked on the door when Spurs looked at their most vulnerable, eventually finding an equaliser.

They lack another dimension without the pace of Andre Gray, but in Wood, signed from Leeds United last week, they have added arguably their biggest goal threat to their arsenal - Pochettino's side were the first to feel the force.

The need for speed

Another persistent problem that remains for Tottenham is their desperate lack of pace.

If Kyle Walker and Danny Rose were starting every game at Wembley, Spurs might have won more games than they already have. The full-backs are crucial to Pochettino's system - they provide the creativity that isn't present in the middle of the park.

However, one has long since departed the club and the other's future is up in the air.

Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies are good full-backs, but that's the extent of it. They have decent delivery and aren't too suspect defensively, but they don't have the speed and attacking impetus to warrant being first choice at club with ambitions as big as Tottenham's.

Perhaps what's more concerning is it appears to denting the confidence of their teammates. On a number of occasions did Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen decide against feeding them the ball in advanced positions as they weren't even attempting to get on the overlap.

The imminent signing of Serge Aurier will certainly solve the issue on the right-hand sidee, but until Rose returns, there'll continue to be a gaping hole on the left channel.

No comments:

Post a Comment