After a shaky start to the season, it’s safe to say Spurs are on fire at the moment. They’ve got the numbers to prove it, too, as Ange Postecoglou’s side are now leading the way across Europe’s top five leagues when it comes to one key statistic.
Tottenham’s press is paramount
Ask most people what the most prominent feature of Ange Postecoglou‘s style of football is and they’d probably mention his inverted full-backs or their quick, slick attacking moves from back to front.
One thing that has gone relatively unnoticed, until this season at least, is the intense nature of the high press his players employ, but it has been devastatingly effective recently.
According to data from WhoScored, Tottenham have now won possession in the attacking third more times than any team across Europe’s top five leagues (Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga).
The Lilywhites have turned over play in attacking areas 50 times already this season, which is actually 11 times more than any other team in the sample data.
Dominic Solanke is key to this success
Spurs have always been instructed by Postecoglou to press high and win back the ball in dangerous areas, but the impact of Dominic Solanke in improving this facet of Tottenham’s game cannot be overstated.
The striker has not only hit the ground running with three goals in three games, but he’s also been instrumental in helping the team apply pressure to their opponents in the attacking third, using his physicality and high work rate to pin teams into their own area.
Cristian Romero is doing the same in defence
Obviously, any team would rather win possession in the attacking third and create opportunities there, but it’s a testament to the work ethic and mentality of the whole team that Cristian Romero is also excelling in possession turnovers this season.
The Spurs defender has won possession 41 times this term, more than any centre-half in the Premier League (WhoScored).
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Best I’ve seen’ – Harry Kane’s telling Tottenham verdict after Man United ‘dominance’
Harry Kane has praised Tottenham their ‘dominant’ display in Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Manchester United.
ange postecoglou stormed to their first victory at Old Trafford since 2020 in style with goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke.
United were poor throughout and were up against it early on when Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first-half. The win has led to Spurs being heavily praised for their best performance of the season yet.
In the aftermath of the game, plenty of pundits and former players have credited Tottenham and Postecoglou. One of them is former striker Harry Kane. The now-Bayern Munich star left the club in 2022 after scoring 280 goals in 435 games
A favourite among supporters, Kane has recently commented on Spurs’ emphatic display at Old Trafford. Speaking ahead of Bayern’s UEFA Champions League clash with Aston Villa, he said: “Yeah I did watch the game yesterday, I thought it was a really great game from Spurs, probably one of the best I’ve seen in a while, I really enjoyed that one.
“Even before the sending off, I thought Spurs were really dominant, it was great to watch them get a really good victory.”
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