For 30 minutes it looked like this might be a season to remember for Tottenham Hotspur...then came an hour of match time that implied it could be a very long year. In reality, the transformation under Ange Postecoglou is still very much ongoing. There will be more bumps and stumbles along the way, but the impressive start against Leicester shows there will be some bright moments as well, and that certainly might be the case this weekend.
Saturday brings Everton to North London after a rough 0-3 opening weekend against Brighton. The Toffees have been in a rough place recently, but last year’s performance actually would have been enough to finish 12th were it not for the points deduction. Still, not much is expected from Everton (aside from avoiding relegation) this season, so this is a great opportunity for Spurs to quickly bounce back.
Tottenham Hotspur (t-9th, 1pt) vs. Everton (t-13th, 0pts)
Date: Saturday, August 24
Time: 10:00 am ET, 3:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Peacock (USA)
Like Tottenham, it was Everton who looked the better side at first last week, but the tide quickly turned toward the Seagulls who scored all three goals. Ashley Young’s red card did not help the home side’s cause, but the outcome was determined before his sending off. At the other end of the pitch, perhaps it could be time for summer signing Iliman Ndiaye to enter the lineup. The Marseille transfer made a substitute appearance last week, but for a team who had the second-fewest goals in the league last season, there is a huge need for someone to step up in the attack.
Spurs won the home fixture last year, winning 2-1 behind goals from Richarlison and Heung-Min Son. The Brazilian then bagged a brace against his former club in the reverse fixture before Tottenham conceded a 94th-minute equalizer to drop two important points. Despite all of Everton’s struggles, Spurs have actually not done the double in this tie since the 2017/18 campaign.
Picking out spots
Expected goals are an imperfect measurement, but the big takeaway from Monday’s draw was how Tottenham failed to capitalize on its opportunities. Indeed, this is nothing new: after averaging 0.35 more goals than xG over the first 28 matches last season, Spurs finished the season averaging 0.38 fewer goals than xG during the final 10 contests. Against Leicester it was not just an xG issue, as too often the attack did not even yield a shot, but it is clear this team is missing a killer instinct.
The challenge will not be easy to overcome with Jordan Pickford in net this Saturday. Despite a tough opening performance, the Everton keeper was fourth in PSxG+/- last season, which measures how many goals he prevented compared to how many a keeper would be expected to concede. Combining this strong shot-stopping ability with Tottenham’s own struggles in the box as of late could yield yet more frustration. Everton does have issues along the backline with Jarrad Branthwaite still out, James Tarkowski possibly joining him, and Young suspended, but Spurs must capitalize on their chances.
Invertigo
Aside from Archie Gray’s versatility and the apparent revival of Djed Spence, one spot Tottenham did not really address this summer was fullback. Both Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro had positive seasons last year, but much continues to rest on their shoulders. The transition to Postecoglou’s system is perhaps felt most significantly at these spots, and there really is no Plan B should it not work out.
Porro started the season as well as possible, getting on the scoresheet, but Udogie left something to be desired, likely due to an incomplete preseason. But with Spurs’ issues creating chances, as well as too many opposing counters with very little resistance, both of these players need to consistently be playing at a high level for Postecoglou’s strategies to play out. Everton is not a side that should offer a ton of resistance, so both fullbacks can and must be an active part of the build up, and creativity, in the final third this weekend.