When Crystal Palace comes to north London this weekend, Ryan Mason will have the ideal chance to alter his Tottenham lineup.
In his two games in charge since taking over as interim head coach following Cristian Stellini’s departure, he has been successful in attack, but the defense has been a completely different story.
After falling down 3-0 after only 15 minutes at Liverpool last weekend, it seemed as though Spurs would be on course to hand out a similar number of goals as they did against Newcastle United in the Italian’s penultimate game in charge.
Despite only giving up one more goal at Anfield after clawing their way back into the game, Tottenham is facing a mountain of problems as a result of the goals they are conceding.
Tottenham has currently allowed 57 goals in 34 games in the Premier League. Five teams in the bottom half of the Premier League league have conceded fewer goals than the Lilywhites, making that number by far the most among top-half sides.
That partially explains why they dropped out of the Champions League spots and may not have any European football next season at all at the season’s end.
Mason had previously chosen a back four when he was in command of the squad for their final seven games of the 2020–21 season, but his thinking may change in light of Eric Dier and Cristiano Romero’s decline in performance as well as the fact that Ben Davies and Clement Lenglet are fit again and have started the last several games.
The acting head coach was questioned by press hub about whether he is tempted to change from a five-man defense to a four-man one now that the Welshman is back, who can now fill the left-back position if Mason chooses to play there.
“I’m not certain. We have to make some judgments because we are training this afternoon, he acknowledged. “Ultimately, keeping clean sheets and winning football games is something we try to do as a team.”Although certain elements can be changed and helped by systems and formations, the desire of the 11 players on the field to have
The most important thing is probably to cooperate and strive toward a common objective If Mason decides on a back four, Jose Mourinho’s former strategy at Tottenham might be used.
Emerson Royal is now injured and Pedro Porro is an attack-minded wing-back, so there may still be a need for a right-back. The Portuguese head coach changed his strategy such that Davies would push across when the right-back was up the pitch and the team in possession of the ball, forming a back three in the process.
This was done because Serge Aurier had the propensity to press upfield and occasionally leave Spurs vulnerable at the back.
In light of Porro’s ongoing adjustment to life in England and the Premier League, having him act as if He won’t perform to his peak as a right-back, as was the case in the most recent loss at Newcastle United, would also stifle his attacking inclinations.
The Spaniard could still explode upfield and provide the side another offensive option, and by employing Mourinho’s old strategy, Spurs would also have sufficient defense thanks to Davies moving over.
After giving Spurs hints of what he can achieve in the future during his first few months in north London, Porro may not reach his full potential until the following campaign.
Similar circumstances persisted for Lucas Moura in 2018, as the conclusion of the 2017–18 season aided in his adjustment to adulthood in the Premier League, and he had a strong start to the ensuing season, most notably when he scored twice in an outstanding 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
press hub questioned Mason in his pre-game news conference about working with Porro on any particular aspects of his game while training at Hotspur Way given Porro’s defensive troubles thus far.
We haven’t had much time to collaborate as a group, Mason said. “Last week, there wasn’t much time because we had two games in three or four days.
“Pete has a fantastic attitude, which is the most crucial quality for me. He desires to grow and learn, and I have no doubt that we will watch him improve as a player in the upcoming years.”
Mason should ideally make adjustments in the back to assist the squad avoid giving up too many goals, whether that be in terms of people or formation, to make sure that Tottenham isn’t making it difficult for themselves week in and week out.
Emerson may be the player more suited to playing at right-back, but if Mason chooses to use Mourinho’s strategy, Porro and Tottenham’s backline stand to gain.