The Premier League marked the return of fans this weekend with an enticing fixture for those from North London, with Tottenham taking on Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Both teams came into the game on contrasting form, with Spurs flying high at the top of the Premier League table and looking to carry on in that form, while Arsenal were winless in their last three Premier League games.
The game marked not only the return of fans, but also the return of José Mourinhos pragmatic and astute tactics against a side favouring possession of the ball. It was Mourinho who won the day, with Tottenham picking up a 2-0 win over Arsenal, with Tottenhams defensive tactics stifling an Arsenal side desperately trying to break them down. In this tactical analysis, I will break down the defensive system used by Spurs, and look at how Arsenals build-up interacted with it and looked to manipulate it.
Line-ups
Tottenham lined up in a 4-4-2, but the roles of the two strikers meant that the formation could also be called a 4-4-1-1, as Ill discuss within this analysis. Arsenal lined up in more of a 4-2-3-1 for most of the game, with Alexander Lacazette playing behind Pierre Emerick Aubameyang mostly, with Willian and Saka dropping into the half-spaces. Tottenham started with Pierre Emile Højbjerg and Moussa Sissoko in central midfield.
The forwards roles in Tottenhams defensive structure
To look at Tottenhams defensive structure, we will break it down into sections, with us first looking at the strikers and wingers roles within the press. Tottenham pressed in a 4-4-2 and operated in a mid-block early on, before settling into a deeper and deeper block as time went on. When Arsenals centre-backs received the ball past differing lines of engagement, Spurs strikers would press, with Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Kane pressing the two centre-backs.
The strikers would not just make a straight pressing run, however, as the strikers were given the role of cutting access to the pivot (Thomas Partey). We can see a nice example of this from early in the game, where Lo Celso presses from inside to out towards a centre-back. Lo Celso scans to check where Partey is, and then continues his run to ensure he remains within his cover shadow.
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