FA Cup 2018/19: Tranmere Rovers vs Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur dominated League Two Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup, entering the next round with an impermeable 7-0 win. Although Tranmere were able to keep the scoresheet level for 40 minutes, Tottenhams individual quality outweighed the fourth-tier teams resistance.

Despite the clear result, there were some interesting tactical tweaks from Tottenham. The following tactical analysis will outline Mauricio Pochettino’s return to a back-three system.

Line-ups

Tottenham started with a mix of experienced players and youngsters. Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura stayed in the starting line-up to support youngsters like Oliver Skipp and Kyle Walker-Peters. After their recent success with a 4-4-2 diamond midfield formation, Tottenham changed their set-up. Pochettino decided to play with a line of three at the back and three attackers up front. This formed a 3-4-3 with a double pivot played by Alli and Skipp in central midfield.

Tranmere Rovers opted to stop Tottenham’s attack with a back five. In their match of the season Rovers obviously lined up their best side available. Captain Steve McNulty led the defence. Up front James Norwood, who had already scored 15 goals this season, had the task of threatening Tottenham’s defence together with his strike partner Connor Jennings.

Half-space combinations and high wing-backs

Dele Alli played deeper than usually, trying to receive the ball early in the build-up phase. Tottenhams wingers mostly positioned themselves in the half-spaces between the opposition midfield and defence. Moura especially dropped deep into midfield which formed a 3-5-2. Thereby he was often able to receive the ball behind the midfield line of Tranmere.

He either drew one of the Rovers back-five out of position, or he was able to turn towards the goal. No matter what, therewith Tottenham overplayed the opposition midfield and were able to move the defensive line. The wing-backs provided depth whenever a winger dropped to receive. This led to several 1v1 situations on the left wing.