Squad Enhancements Pay off for Tottenham in Champions League Win over CSKA
As successful as the occasion was, Tottenham Hotspur's return to Champions League football taking place at Wembley rather than White Hart Lane undoubtedly felt strange.
The hope is increased familiarity with their temporary European football home will soon put that right. For now, there was something almost comfortable about the onerous but recognisable task of securing an away win.
Performancewise, the 1-0 victory at CSKA Moscow was much more like it from Tottenham, too. Happily for manager Mauricio Pochettino, the improvements on the 2-1 defeat to Monaco with regards to focus and more thoughtful perseverance were made despite regular starters being absent.
Vincent Janssen again led the line in place of the injured Harry Kane. Erik Lamela came back in for Moussa Sissoko in attacking midfield, while Victor Wanyama stayed on in central midfield with both Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier sidelined. Ben Davies kept his place at left-back, while Kieran Tripper started instead of the rested Kyle Walker at right-back.
Later on in the second half, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou entered on the left wing as Spurs altered their configuration slightly. After Heung-Min Son scored what would prove to be the winner, young midfielder Harry Winks came on to help see the game out.
Pochettino has hardly been lacking for numbers since he became Spurs boss two years ago, but boosted by the new signings in particular, their depth came off looking stronger and enhanced by these different names, not just achieving numerical parity.
Wanyama's display was as good as any in showing this.
"Bar the booking absolutely excellent from @VictorWanyama in the second half protected back 4 again so well.
— Graham Roberts (@GrahamRoberts4) September 27, 2016"
As referred to by Tottenham's 1980s defensive rock Graham Roberts (above), Wanyama's 11th-minute booking did not bode well.
He had given away possession in the opening minute and did so again when poor control led to him fouling Aleksandr Golovin when trying to win it back. Spurs looked prone to swift counter-attacks in the first-half—usually via target man Lacina Traore—and having their midfield anchor so unsteady did not help.
It was difficult for Wanyama.
Pochettino set the team out to be positive, with Dele Alli spending just as much time in the final third as in a nominal role alongside the Kenyan—as against Middlesbrough on Saturday, the formation veered between 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-3-1. It paid off as the game progressed, but earlier on, Wanyama was sent back-pedalling and having to cover plenty of ground.
Notably, just after the half-hour mark, a CSKA attack down the left drew him and Trippier in. Golovin crossed, and Jan Vertonghen headed out only as far as the edge of the box, but the free Zoran Tosic thankfully shot over.
Like the team in general, Wanyama was patient and found his way into the match.
His touch grew assured, and he became a valuable pivot point as Spurs gradually moved forward, searching for openings in the Russians' defence. On a few occasions he pushed up himself, but he was mostly content to stay in support.
Roberts' praise of Wanyama's protection of the defence was warranted, too. CSKA were not able to attack as much after the interval, but when they threatened to break through, he was often there.
Good positioning ensured Georgi Milanov's cross after escaping from Trippier was not more problematic. Later on, Golovin and Tosic were also halted.
If those moments brought to mind similar defensive interventions from Dier, Wanyama's increasingly confident dribbles buying time and maintaining possession were not far short of Dembele's trademark runs.
The England and Belgium internationals were so important for Tottenham last season that comparing their cover/competition to them this time around is unavoidable.
Dier and Wanyama's pairing earlier in the campaign was not quite proactive enough, with both inclined to sit back in anticipation of the opposition. But in his appearances since, the ex-Southampton man has enjoyed being the primary protective presence in front of the defence, holding for Dembele against Sunderland and allowing Alli to get forward.
It is the kind of work Wanyama was signed for.
There will be days Spurs can be more expansive—see the Winks-Tom Carroll midfield orchestrating things against Gillingham. In the Champions League, a more pragmatic approach was required, and Wanyama more than lived up to Pochettino's pre-season billing.
"He's a very strong midfielder who is a holding midfielder but can play free and can play very well with the ball," the boss told Spurs' official website in late-June. "He's powerful, and I think he's a perfect player for us."
Speaking to the club website at the end of the transfer window, Pochettino reflected on the greater scope for variation the new signings had enhanced.
"Today, when you look at our squad we have the possibility to play in different ways," he said. "That is important because we have different alternatives across the team in order to compete in all competitions."
If Wanyama was more like-for-like in what he offered, Nkoudou brought that different twist.
Tottenham had not been able to call on a pacy winger since the departures of Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend. Even when they were available to Pochettino, he only used them intermittently.
Spurs' issues breaking down more stubborn, unyielding opponents required a change of perspective, and Pochettino believed he found his man, stating how his "qualities are unbelievable."
He also warned upon Nkoudou's signing the new man would need a little time. After a tentative cameo against Gillingham and a more assured one versus Middlesbrough, his introduction here felt like confirmation his moment had arrived.
Without Nkoudou for an hour, Spurs pushed CSKA back via the interchanges of Alli, Christian Eriksen, Lamela and Son, using the forays forward of Davies and Trippier to try to stretch their defence.
Each had moments creating for each other and centre-forward Janssen. Alli hit the crossbar from long-range, Son had shots blocked, and several balls over or through the home defence were just off-range or the targets just offside.
Spurs invariably looked to go inside, as the extra body Alli was essentially providing high up meant the full-backs had to be more selective getting down the flanks or risk getting caught out. Unsurprisingly, things got a little crowded, and the Moscow club managed to narrow the potential routes toward goal.
Cue Nkoudou's arrival and what was an immediate impact.
The aforementioned attacking midfielders are all capable of taking players on, but they generally require momentum to do so—be it receiving a pass in full-flight or having space in front to generate sufficient propulsion.
Nkoudou has the acceleration to go beyond from a starting position, and straight away he gave his team penetration—or at least the useful threat of it. In his first look out left he took on two players and won a corner, within minutes he created an overlap for Davies, and he came inside to link with Alli, who almost played Lamela through.
Tiring, CSKA took time adapting to the danger and paid the price. Toby Alderweireld was able to pass centrally up to Lamela, who too had time and sent through Son to score the winner.
Nkoudou continued to torment his hosts. Probably more pleasing to Pochettino down the stretch will have been the important work he did helping Davies protect the left-wing, with the 21-year-old on hand to stop a few incursions.
The man Nkoudou replaced had a tougher night.
Right up against the CSKA defence in that crowded mass, Janssen was fighting for scraps in the first-half. When things appeared to have opened up—an Alli backheel sending him down the left-hand channel; an Eriksen ball allowing him to chip Igor Akinfeev on the opposite side—he was ruled offside.
In the second-half, his best chance saw him shoot wide from a Davies centre. The ball came up at him a little quicker than he anticipated, and he caught it with his heel as he tried to side-foot it across the goalkeeper.
Save for a penalty against Gillingham, Janssen has not found his finishing touch just yet. Signed to give that different option to Kane, covering and teaming up, the lack of goals could and will be interpreted by some as him underwhelming.
But as the in-form Son—who is helping make up the scoring deficit—has shown, patience in a player can pay off.
Janssen's more combative style, getting right up against defenders to try to force gaps for himself and others to exploit, has already ensured Spurs are not toothless without Kane. If he keeps this work rate up, the goals will surely come.
On the whole, it was a good night for the team.
Everyone played their part in an imperfect but, as Pochettino noted (above), well-deserved victory.
Tottenham's depth may come under greater, perhaps more punishing scrutiny from first-place Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend. But for the time being, Pochettino should feel content with how his squad is shaping up.
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