After a difficult first week in the Premier League for Everton, the Toffees travel to Tottenham Hotspur who were surprised in their opening game of the new campaign too.
Jaime Vardy muscled his Leicester City team to a point, and at the final whistle of that 1-1 match, Ange Postecoglu looked very much how Everton felt after their loss as well - frustrated and resigned to the fight that awaits this year.
The Toffees were flummoxed against Brighton & Hove Albion, who looked a tough side under their new, young boss, but Everton didn’t help matters. Ashley Young got run by as though he were standing still - until his red card left him very much sitting still - and while the defence was undisciplined in the 3-0 loss, the attack could not produce anything in front of goal.
Prior to Saturday’s affair, we spoke toDustin George-Miller, managing editor of SB Nation’s dedicated Spurs site, Cartilage Free Captain, to tell us what he knows and thinks:
RBM: First off, how are Spurs and their supporters feeling after the first week of the new campaign?
DGM: I suppose that depends on who you ask! An away draw to a newly promoted Leicester that seems certain to go back down didn’t feel especially great, considering the nature of the draw. I get the sense that this Tottenham team still feels to many like a work in progress, but many fans are trying to strike a balance between cautious optimism that Ange Postecoglou can improve squad performances from last season while significantly turning over the squad and making the age profile a LOT younger.
It’s a process and there’s no reason to think the club isn’t fully behind Postecoglou overseeing a multi-year plan. But based on that first match, Spurs fans are going to start getting antsy really quick if we don’t start getting solid results in the next few matches.
RBM: In the first half against Leicester, Tottenham looked good; what went wrong after Vardy’s goal that left the match tied after 90 minutes?
DGM: In short, the entire team got tired. You could tell several members of the squad, including Son Heung-Min, Pape Sarr, James Maddison, and Rodrigo Bentancur just pooped out at about 60 minutes. Frustratingly, Ange waited too long to make fitness-related subs, and didn’t make any until after Bentancur’s injury. By that point it was more or less too late; Leicester had already equalized and had changed the momentum of the match and the reserves couldn’t muster enough attacking impetus to get control back. Super frustrating.
RBM: Tell us about what innovations Spurs made over the summer, what Big Ange is trying to do, and what positions remain less than ideal?
DGM: Ange was very clear this summer that the first year of his project was all about instilling the foundations of his tactics and getting his players to buy into the system. This year it’s about building upon that foundation, and history has shown that his teams generally improve a TON in his second year. I think once you understand Ange-Ball you already know what you’re going to get – high line, high pressing, progressive movement, forward impetus, cutbacks, and balls balls balls in the box. After that it’s about tweaking those concepts here and there and getting the right buy-in from the players in the right areas.
Spurs’ recruitment efforts were two-fold: invest in a solid No. 9 to compete with Richarlison (Dominic Solanke), and change over the squad to a younger profile. A LOT of energy was spent identifying and bringing in young players with very high ceilings that may not hit their peak for another 3-4 years, but can still contribute now – players like Lucas Bergvall (18), Archie Gray (18), Wilson Odobert (19), and Yang Min-Hyeok (18) alongside academy prospects like Mikey Moore (17) and Will Lankshear (19). They’re the future of the club, but players like Bergvall, Gray, and Odobert have impressed in training and will be expected to contribute right away. That’s both exciting and a little terrifying.
Spurs are still a little light at the 6 position (so is everyone to be fair), could use a solid backup at LB to Destiny Udogie, and probably another left sided central defender. There are suggestions Spurs could add 1-2 more players this summer if the right deals can be worked out. We’ll see.
RBM: What does this team do well and what is it still struggling with?
DGM: At its best, Spurs are quite adept at progressing the ball and holding possession, and capable at playing out from the back, all hallmarks of an Ange Postecoglou team. There’s a lot to like there – they’re super fun to watch, most of the time. But Spurs struggled down the stretch with actually creating – and converting – big chances in the box. They had a lot of the ball but didn’t generate nearly as much xG as anyone expected. That’s why they bought Solanke for a club-record £65m, but there’s work to do there.
Postecoglou’s high line/high press tactics also mean that Spurs will naturally be susceptible to counterattacks and balls over the top of the defensive line. A lot of that is ameliorated by the raw speed of Micky van de Ven and the outstanding defense of Cristian Romero, but the nature of it is that Spurs are simply going to give up big chances, which will come back to bite them. The idea is that Spurs will simply score more goals to make up for that… but, see the previous paragraph.
Finally, Spurs were (and still are, until we get more data) stupidly susceptible to goals from set pieces. It was super frustrating to watch last season, and Ange seemed to hand-wave it away. Gotta get better in that area or it’s going to be a long season.
RBM: What are the expectations for Spurs this season after the inconsistent success of last season?
DGM: Spurs finished the season in fifth (and a Europa League spot) due in part to a crap-ton of injuries that disrupted a lot of what Postecoglou wanted to do. I think most fans are relatively clear-eyed about what Spurs’ prospects look like in the Premier League – nobody’s expecting a title push, but they’d certainly anticipate improvement in both play and table position this season, plus a strong run in Europa League.
Of course we’d all love a cup title, but those are crapshoots. But if Spurs can see genuine progress over the course of the season I think we’ll all be content with steady growth and an exciting future ahead.
RBM: What will the side do with Everton favorite Richarlison now that he is apparently out of favor with the current boss in north London?
DGM: I wouldn’t say Richarlison is out of favor. I do think the club was (regrettably and understandably) worried about his injury history over the past two years and whether he can be a consistent presence in the team. There were reports Spurs were trying to give him a gentle shove out the door to Saudi Arabia this summer, and Richy said no – that’s fine with me.
If he was willing, getting £60m for him would’ve been a shrewd financial deal, but at his best Richy is a practically ideal Ange-Ball striker, is especially motivated to get back into the Brazil squad, and loves it at Spurs. I think we’ll probably see quite a lot of him either as a substitute or a rotation for Dominic Solanke this season.
There are plenty of minutes to play, and Richarlison and Solanke are similar and complementary in a lot of ways.
RBM: Who can you see giving Everton some trouble on Saturday in London, and how might Tottenham line up against Everton as the Toffees travel down to London?
DGM: Can’t say I’m especially looking forward to playing a Dyche-ball team at home this weekend, as Spurs always seem to have difficulty breaking down teams who put players behind the ball. So this could be a cagy one if Dyche sets up to bunker and counter.
If Dyche allows Everton to actually try and play football against us, I think there’s a decent chance we can blow the doors off. The key will be whether Spurs’ creative players like James Maddison can split the back line with progressive passing, or if Spurs’ wide players like Brennan Johnson (or Dejan Kulusevski) and Son Heung-Min can find some space in the box to create chances for Solanke.
It’s still early days, but I expect you’ll see a very similar, if not identical, starting lineup to the one that played at Leicester. Maybe Kulusevski comes in for Johnson to start, and you’ll definitely see Yves Bissoma in midfield for Bentancur, who is still under concussion protocol.
RBM: Finally, what’s your prediction for Saturday’s match?
DGM: I hate predictions, but I’m going to go with a 2-1 Spurs win, with Everton pulling one back via a stupid Tarkowski header off a corner. Because until proven otherwise, Tottenham Hotspur still can’t have nice things.
Our thanks to Dustin for his time.