The collapse at Brighton could almost be excused as such an anomaly for Tottenham Hotspur; a horrendous second half, but one that felt unlikely to be replicated. What cannot be excused, though, is the absolute stinker against Crystal Palace that gifted the Eagles their lone win in the league this season. Spurs must now find a way to avoid history repeating itself, with newly promoted Ipswich Town the opponent on Sunday.
Playing this match at home should be a big boost, as Spurs’ form is significantly worse on the road (see: Thursday night in Istanbul). Still, that should not be the deciding factor against sides like Ipswich and Palace. For as many missed opportunities as the team has already squandered this year, there is still plenty of season left. Securing the three points in fixtures like these is imperative, and another strong victory will keep the vibes rolling.
Tottenham Hotspur (t-7th, 16pts) vs. Ipswich Town (18th, 5pts)
Date: Sunday, November 10
Time: 9:00 am ET, 2:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: USA Network (USA)
It has been a rude welcome to the top flight for the Tractor Boys. Losses to Liverpool and Manchester City to open the season improved to four straight draws, but since then Ipswich has gathered just one point from the past four matches – a draw against Leicester last weekend. League-worst xG and xGA totals succinctly tell the tale, as the numbers are pretty lopsided (4.5 xG to 7.2 xGA) even in the club’s five draws.
These sides have not met since Ipswich’s last stay in the Premier League, when the Tractor Boys did the double in 2001/02 and the home teams each came out ahead in the 2000/01 season. Just as a reference point, Tottenham won all six matches against last year’s promoted trio (Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield). This season is already off that pace with the opening weekend draw against Leicester; Spurs will see Southampton next month.
A cupboard full
Suddenly, Ange Postecoglou has five impressive options for three midfield positions: Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, and Pape Matar Sarr (assuming Lucas Bergvall is more of a cup stand-in). Each offers their own advantages, and while injuries and suspensions will make some of the decisions for him, I am fascinated to see how he chooses to deploy these pieces depending on the situation.
You can almost talk yourself into any combination from this group working, though I would love to see Postecoglou explicitly pick his starters based on the opponent. Against Ipswich, having Maddison in the side would seemingly allow Spurs to pick apart an opponent content to cede possession and camp out in its own third. Including him over a second No. 6 is worthwhile against the team that is 20th in shots and shot creation.
Lock in
Ipswich was moments away from a win last weekend (despite being down to 10 men), but Jordan Ayew snuck in the equalizer for the Foxes, a week after Brentford scored a stoppage-time winner to take all three points. Contrast this with Spurs, who have had back-to-back masterful second-half onslaughts at home. The objective is to not need a comeback this weekend, but at least in North London, we know the squad is capable of it.
With all of the visitor’s aforementioned struggles finding the back of the net, anything less than a shutdown defensive performance would be a disappointment. Tottenham is dealing with injuries across the back line, but the club has looked much improved on the defensive end and suddenly is on par with some of the league’s best defenses.
However, keeping a clean sheet and fully eliminating the switch-offs and miscues still remains a challenge, as was vividly shown against Galatasaray. Facing Ipswich at home, there might not be a better opportunity than this to show full control for 90 minutes. To really elevate to the next level, Spurs need to find a way to extinguish all threats in fixtures like this.