Premier League 2020/21: Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham – tactical analysis

The city of London hosted another Premier League classic last weekend. In the six-goal thriller, visitors West Ham United successfully salvaged a draw against Tottenham Hotspur after conceding three goals in the first 16 minutes. Such a result helped them to continue their positive run after scoring seven goals in the previous two gameweeks.

Ironically, all of West Ham’s goals came in the closing 16 minutes of the game. What actually happened in this dramatic match? This tactical analysis will try to answer that by examining both managers’ tactics and adjustments throughout the 90 minutes.

Lineups

José Mourinho opted for the usual 4–2–3–1 for Tottenham. The back-four consisted of Serge Aurier, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sánchez and former Real Madrid man Sergio Reguilón. Talisman Harry Kane led the attacking line supported by the trio of Steven Bergwijn, Tanguy Ndombélé, and Son Heung-min behind him. Names like Harry Winks, Lucas Moura, and multiple Champions League winner Gareth Bale had to play from the bench.

In the opposite side, David Moyes chose 5–4–1 for his team. Their backline included players like Vladimír Coufal, Fabián Balbuena, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, and Fuka-Arthur Masuaku. Upfront, Michail Antonio started as the lone striker; helped by the quartet of Jarrod Bowen, Tomáš Souček, Declan Rice, and Pablo Fornals in the midfield. The Hammers’ dugout was filled by the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini, and Robert Snodgrass.