London. Third place in the Premier League, down six points to fourth and a better and better flick game.
Antonio Conte’s philosophy is not celebrated as much as Pep Guardiola’s or Mikel Arteta’s.
It probably doesn’t matter how you win as long as you win.
For a while there was a clear pattern in Spurs’ efforts. Drowsiness begins without the worst of the ball, followed by flattening opponents towards the end.
The away win over Brighton (1-0 after Harry Kane’s early goal) didn’t quite fit this recurring theme. The meeting wasn’t at home against Everton either, with Kane leading a victory rally once again.
It was because Spurs were cracking during the first quarter on that crisp October evening in London. Antonio Conte didn’t want to risk Dejan Kulusevsky’s ribs, but went back to 3-4-3 with Richarlison in place of midfielder Yves Bisoma. Everton were deep in the five-way defense (left back Dwight McNeill fell) and served as a wall in front of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from the first minute.
The most two feet in the league
Frank Lampard hasn’t touched a single touchline, but he must have struggled internally with the body of 34-year-old Seamus Coleman and the team’s inability to build play. Spurs’ high pressure was very aggressive, and Neil Maupay was not a striker to win aerial duels against Eric Dier. In addition, Coleman encountered two Premier Leagues Perhaps the most two-legged players on the right wing, Son Heung-min and Ivan Perisic, which did not make his task any easier.
Perhaps the reason for Lampard’s cautious tactics was based on the fact that the coach had no intention of repeating old mistakes. Last season, Everton took a daring, high streak at Tottenham’s stadium – and penalized in defense five times.
The more realistic approach doesn’t seem to work either, but over time something happened. Between the pressure of opening and closing for Tottenham in the first half, the away team had two big chances. On one occasion, Demarai Gray, who broke up with Bentancur, threw the ball over the crossbar. Then Onana did the same after mistaking midfielder Pierre-Emile Hogberg.
Spurs are relegated on ten games total (Everton agreed four) and with xG (expected goals) 0.57 against 0.54 for the away team. Everton, whose oxygen levels plummeted once Harry Kane and the gang grabbed the ball, looked undoubtedly in the match after halftime as a miracle.
Pickford didn’t have fluency in his class
At first, the second half looked like a repeat of the first. Spurs saved offensively and Pickford, the top seed without a threat ahead of the World Cup, had one sharp save after another. However, the goalkeeper didn’t quite have the fluency on his side. A lapse of concentration for half a second was enough for Kane to score a penalty and himself in his 400th match for Spurs. Although Pickford’s fingers were barely catching the ball (the fist hit hard on the grass afterwards).
Richarlison’s injury opened the way for a change of lineup as Bisuma switched pitch. It did not affect the match picture significantly, on the contrary it lifted the Spurs as the advantage became centrally larger (3-5-2 is probably preferred as long as the portable Kulusevski is missing). Everton already looked undefeated, and not entirely unexpectedly, Höjbjerg extended the numbers to 2-0 just minutes from the end.
When the Spurs drop points, the critics immediately appear. Antonio Conte is pragmatic, which is a rarity among the big clubs these days. “They play like Stoke!” As Peter Crouch said a few weeks ago.
The Italian team will not be praised for playing like Man City or Arsenal, at least until they are better settled. But they are tactically adept, sticking right there at the top and have enough quality (although both Kulusevsky and Richarlison’s injuries are reasonably worrisome) to beat anyone on a good day. No matter what topic the match is on. It probably doesn’t matter much how you win – as long as you win.
