Another home match for Tottenham and a new fightback from Ange Postecoglou to take the three points.
on Sunday 4-1 win against Aston Villa It was the eighth time this year that Spurs have recovered from an early goal conceded to win at home in the league – equaling Newcastle’s all-time Premier League record since 2002 – and the 24 points they have picked up in these situations are 10 more than any other peak. -flight team in 2024.
In an ideal world, Tottenham wouldn’t be in a position where they’re falling behind, but the fact that they’re continuing to dig themselves out of the hole shows more than just resilience and a strong mentality.
Every time they come back to win, their players demonstrate that they can deal with the expectations you face every time you play in front of Spurs fans, and also deal with the added pressure you feel when things go wrong wrong.
But moreover, their success reinforces their belief that their style of play, in which they aim for high levels of possession, seek to dominate the ball and actually attack the opposition, works.
One of the reasons I think they have this record at home is because of Postecoglou’s philosophy: Spurs wear down away defensive teams with their quality of possession and their constant effort to try to regain possession. ball at the top of the field.
They no longer panic when things don’t go as planned, and that’s why we regularly see them overcome setbacks without much trouble, just like they did against Villa.
There’s another discussion to be had about whether their boldness should sometimes be adjusted outside of the house, especially if they’re in the lead or have something to protect.
But it’s undoubtedly a hugely positive aspect of their home game because, in the majority of games I’ve seen this season, they’ve produced dominant attacking performances and, ultimately, been rewarded.
They have won four of their five league matches at the Tottenham Stadium, scoring 15 goals in those four matches. The only match they lost, against Arsenal, This was the only time they didn’t create as much as they would like, but even then they still controlled the game for long periods in terms of possession and territory.
First half: Spurs are too narrow
Tottenham were 1-0 down at half-time against Villa, but that wasn’t because they were playing poorly.
They will be disappointed with the goal they conceded from another corner, but they actually did very well in defense despite the absence of the injured Micky van de Ven, whose pace makes him a key man when they maintain a high defensive line.
Their problems were at the other end of the pitch, where they continued to put themselves in good positions but failed to create any clear-cut chances.
They were too narrow, which is something I see a lot at Tottenham, as their full-backs, Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro, like to get inside when moving forward and don’t often find themselves in wide positions, overlapping their wingers. .
This happened a lot in the first half against Villa, for example on the left. So, because John McGinn was so willing to help Matty Cash on that flank, Son Heung-min was forced inside, where Villa had even more numbers.
Udogie was high up the pitch but he wasn’t in a dangerous position so he wasn’t affecting the play. It was a similar story on the other side, and like Porro also found himself inside Johnson, Tottenham had no width.
There were times when Spurs had no one outside the penalty area, making it much easier for Villa to defend against them. Unai Emery’s team could remain very compact, and you have to do something really special to play in a team like this.
Second half: Tottenham make an adjustment
When I signed for Liverpool, I was lucky enough to rub shoulders with Ronnie Moran, a club legend who was there for almost 50 years and coached under nine managers, starting with Bill Shankly.
Teams would come to Anfield and sit down and he would tell me if you can’t go through the middle, you go around the outside. He told me to change the ball quickly, keep it moving and put in a few crosses.
It sounds simple, but few teams do it, and you don’t even need wingers who can dribble. David Beckham and Gary Neville at Manchester United are the best example of two full-back players who had a relationship where they didn’t need to beat people to make crosses – sometimes Neville would overlap and throw the ball, sometimes he would just run to give Beckham space to whip in a cross.
In the second half, Udogie started doing exactly what Neville was doing, and it worked. There was an obvious change in the runs he was making, as now he was going around the outside of Son and taking McGinn with him.
That’s where the first goal came from, as Cash was aware of Udogie and gave Son a fraction of extra space when he stopped to deal with the overlap. That meant Son was able to throw the ball – he was also a brilliant cross – and Brennan Johnson found himself at the end to equalise.
A minute later Spurs were in the same situation, but this time Udogie was played wide. He removed the ball and Solanke almost scored.
Suddenly Villa had very different problems to solve, and it was no longer so easy for them to defend so deep.
It was a bit strange when Son was substituted before the hour mark, just when he and Udogie had started to link up so well, but he had missed six of Spurs’ last seven games due to injury. injury, so I’m sure there was a reason for that.
Yet it was that adjustment that allowed Spurs to get back into the game, and although they lost some of their momentum when Son went out, they quickly showed their class that they could go on and win.
It was a wonderful little pass from Dejan Kulusevski to set up Dominic Solanke for his second goal 15 minutes from time, which brings me back to my original point about how Tottenham wear teams down.
This constant and persistent pressure paid off against Villa as fatigue had taken its toll.
Fatigue is a factor when playing Spurs because although Villa left no gaps in defense before the break, it only takes one lapse of time – and a quality ball – to let them in.
The day Solanke showed Spurs who he was?
The whole Tottenham team got the result they deserved against Villa, but I was particularly happy that Solanke was rewarded for such a great individual performance with two goals.
He joined Tottenham for £65 million in the summer after a wonderful campaign for Bournemouth, but made a stuttering start to the season with Spurs, which can happen.
All players need a bit of time to settle in at a new club, but I think a few fans wondered if he was the right signing or if he was overpriced because he missed out on a opportunity against Arsenal in his first game back from injury, and some people judged him off it.
I’ve never really doubted him because every time I’ve seen him play this season his link-up play has been good and his work off the ball has been phenomenal – his pressing is as good as in the Premier League and probably one of the reasons Spurs wanted him.
I love seeing someone work so hard, but I think the other reason he has so many admirers is that he’s not a crybaby or a dipper or a cheater, whereas a lot of strikers modern ones are. Someone might read this and say I saw him do this or that last year, and there may be some funny occasions, but my point is that that’s not one of the of his game.
So there’s a lot to like about Solanke but as we all know, strikers are ultimately all judged on their goals, which is why Sunday was so important for him after going six games without a goal.
If it hadn’t already happened, this was the day the Tottenham fans sort of welcomed him and he showed them exactly the player he was.
I heard them chanting his name after his first goal, and again after his second, and if they didn’t fully appreciate him before this game, they definitely do now.
He embodies the team’s work ethic and combines it with a brilliant centre-forward performance in front of goal.
I understand why there will always be criticism of this Spurs team as they continue to try to play so positively and lose, as there is a constant conversation about whether Postecoglou’s philosophy means there is only one way to play.
The debate about the need to adapt will continue but, for now, when you see the chances they create, it’s perfect for Solanke. He’s going to get chances playing in this system, and he’s good enough to take them.
Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
