Tottenham Hotspur returned to the Premier League action earlier today. It was a frustrating result for Thomas Frank‘s men (FT 1-2), who started with an aggressive press in the early exchanges which ended up setting the tone of the high press every time Emi Martinez had the ball. And with Bentancur leading the line from the central zones on the press, Simons was tucking in for a more inverted shape.
Speaking purely from a press perspective, Tel also brought that width when adding to press. It looked like a deliberate yet well-synchronised press, showing how Thomas Frank has this structural shape in place which has now been stamped on this team.
But the game is beyond just press and structure; there were a lot of talking points given how both Thomas Frank and Unai Emery are great thinkers on the touchline. And we will take a look at a few that we spotted along the ninety.
5 things that we spotted in Tottenham vs Villa
Set-piece routines are bearing fruit, and that is all down to Thomas Frank
The Dane head coach highly emphasised set-piece balls when he was in charge of the proceedings at Brentford. And today showed how he has ensured that this team (who were faltering from dead ball situations for years) have added another armoury to their arsenal. Tottenham scored the game’s opener from a corner sequence where Kudus (who found himself on that left channel) whipped in a beautiful delivery which was kept alive by Palhinha and slotted in by Bentancur.
There were also more corner situations where Tottenham posed threats to Emi’s goal, varying between taking it short and whipping in a cross (be it a cross at the far post or on the front). It’s fascinating how far Tottenham have come in this sense in no time.
Bentancur is playing a hybrid role to shape Tottenham’s first phase.
Bentancur was everywhere in build-up, quite literally
When Vicario had the ball at his feet, the Uruguayan played a variation of roles to help progression. At times he dropped into a quasi-left-back role, allowing Spence to push higher and adding that technical passing range to the first phase. But there were also sequences where he tucked between the centre-backs to bisect them and form into what looked like a 3-1-2 with Palhinha deeper and Simons/Odobert occupying central spaces.
There was a sequence where Bentancur took up that LCB place in the first phase on the ball when Van de Ven was driving through with the ball in the midfield.
All of this is fluid and yet intentional.
Tottenham fans haven’t forgotten Matty Cash
Every time Matty Cash touched the ball, there was a chorus of boos that followed around the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. But there is a depth of history which goes back to those books.
It is all about that challenge on Bentancur a couple of years ago which kept him on the sidelines for a long time. And it looks like that incident still plays fresh in the minds of the Lilywhites faithful.
You could feel that when Cash committed a foul throw inside ten minutes and the home crowd celebrated that as if Tottenham had just scored.
Odobert showed promise, but there is still this rawness around him
Odobert had moments which could have helped him make a mark in the game. If we go to that run which he made in the 19th minute where he skipped past defenders, there was a smart corner routine where he sneaked in behind Rogers. But both chances ended up fizzling out, and it was not because of lack of intent but (maybe) because of a sense of indecision in taking that final touch or making that final pass.
Later in the game, there was also a sequence where Simons played him into space again, but he held onto the ball too long, and suddenly that space was eaten up by Villa players. You can see that there is talent, but it’s clearly still being shaped.
Van de Ven stepping into midfield adds another twist
With Romero absent and Danso being forced into a start, Van de Ven occasionally pushed into midfield, especially during Tottenham’s high press (it is usually a role that you see Romero playing every week). And this added an extra layer to the Lilywhites’ structure, especially when Bentancur covered as the left centre-back while Van de Ven advanced.
Tottenham were trying to squeeze the visitors higher up, and this tweak helped compress the pitch effectively. So as midfield is pushing up, defenders have to cover the space.
Let’s be honest, it wasn’t always polished. But the patterns and ideas were clearly there. You can see how Thomas Frank has his fingerprints all over this side already. Be it set pieces or this high pressing or the hybrid roles that players are playing.
