Tottenham Hotspur will visit the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to face Nottingham Forest at the weekend, with Thomas Frank’s side visiting City Ground with a sense of structure. And one of the reasons behind that has been the introduction of Archie Gray in the middle of the park. He has been playing in a double pivot alongside Palhinha.
If we are speaking on pure form, he has been one of the better players in that Lilywhites roster. But if we get a bit into the tactical side of things, then facing Nottingham Forest under Sean Dyche might give Thomas Frank a reason to look beyond the Leeds United graduate.
Now this isn’t about the armoury in Gray who is just coming off that 7/10 performance against Slavia Prague in the midweek. But this is more about picking the right tool for what is expectedly coming at City Ground.
Why this isn’t an “Archie Gray problem”
We know how Sean Dyche lines up his teams. He is quite consistent with his philosophies, where he goes into more of a compact mid-to-low block. Then he puts in a couple of solid central midfielders protecting the box and ensuring that no half-spaces are accessible.
His wide forwards are generally ready to spring into their steps. They will be happy to have the ball in front of them for 90 minutes.
So, as many teams do against Dyche’s teams, Tottenham will see a lot of possession without any sense of poise going ahead, especially if Frank doesn’t pack enough creativity between the lines. And that is where the Gray question comes in.
Archie played an excellent game against Slavia Prague, given how he was clean on the ball, and he won his duels. He brought a sense of control to the game.
But that was a game where Tottenham were still left a bit on the back foot to manage transitional situations, and they still got a lot of space to express themselves. But against Forest, that is going to be different. They are quite stubborn when it comes to their blocks; it is very difficult to get the better of them. And then they put out a deep structure that will happily let you pass sideways until full-time.
Now, when you are facing this kind of block, there is a risk of a defensive overkill (which comes with that Gray + Palhinha duo). This, in a way takes that creative ability out.
Why Simons and Bergvall should both start against Nottingham Forest
So if Frank is willing to go a bit bold, then this is the kind of game where Tottenham don’t need to deploy two ball-winners. Instead, they need to put on a midfield of one destroyer and then have a couple of players constantly receiving between the lines. They can then turn and combine, and possibly open spaces to slide runners in.
This is where a braver setup of Palhinha with Xavi Simons and Lucas Bergvall as attacking midfielders ahead of him comes into the picture. With both of them playing, Tottenham will get a consistent presence between the lines.
When we speak about this from Sean Dyche’s system point of view, they will try to compress the space in front of their centre-backs. So if you play with a #10 against that, they will try to go a bit tight on him. And he will always have someone on him on the turn. So, ideally, this forces a pass back. But if you have two attacking midfielders there, you are forcing Sean Dyche and Forest to make a choice. If they track Simons, Bregvall pops out. But if they choose to step out to meet Bregvall, Simons gets some space in the half spaces.
And then, given how Xavi Simons has been playing, he is running like the best he has donning that Lilywhites badge. His confidence is finally coming back. Moreover, these are the games where you exactly know that he is going to put in performances. Given that Tottenham will be up against a low block, where you need someone brave enough to receive under pressure and try to roll a man before creating chaos. And chaos is exactly what he can cause in a structural setup this weekend.
And for Bergvall, we saw him as a runner in the last games. We have also seen the Swede being a menace in tight spaces. His presence can help Tottenham go a long way.
Author Opinion
Forest will likely sit deep. Sean Dyche will most probably embrace chaos upfront, but with blocks of four and five. And Tottenham will see a lot of the ball in front of them.
This is a game where Frank can go brave. But do you think he will? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
