Tottenham's Win over Hull Creates More Questions Than Answers for Pochettino

Tottenham Hotspur's form since November's international break has been complicated.

Although able to focus firmly on club matters without interruption, desired consistency has not been forthcoming. The high of a derby victory over West Ham United was followed by the low of Champions League elimination, with losses to hoped-for title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United then sandwiching comfortable victories against bottom-half fodder.

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The latest in the latter category—a 3-0 win over Hull City on Wednesday, coming by way of goals from Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama—ended up creating more questions than answers around the team for manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Despite suffering considerable blows to their season's ambitions recently, Tottenham are still in a relatively healthy position.

They are four points better off after 16 games than they were a year ago. Again in fifth place, the 10-point gap between them and Premier League leaders Chelsea is not insurmountable, albeit Antonio Conte's side look more formidable than the Arsenal team Spurs caught up with last time (and historical precedent may also be on the Blues' side).

Pochettino stressed to the media beforehand that "it's a long way to the end of the season, and it's for that reason always we need to believe to win games, believe to try to perform and try to fight to reduce that gap."

Going by the changes he made against Hull, there was at least some doubt created by the preceding 1-0 loss to Manchester United.

Pochettino had been asked in his pre-match press conference whether others beside striker Harry Kane needed to contribute more goals.

"I think it's not fair [to say that] after Manchester United when we didn't score because one week ago, after the Swansea game when we won 5-0, it was all praise about our players," he responded, highlighting a game in which Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son got on the scoresheet.

He continued: "Now we played against Manchester United, a difficult game. We had some chances. We didn't score, but I think it's a little bit unfair to start to say now that we need more goals from our second line or the players in behind Kane."

The loose 3-4-3 formation he went with against the Tigers was partly informed by the absence of injured midfielder Mousa Dembele. But with its emphasis on creative freedom for the attacking midfield and licence for Danny Rose and Kyle Walker to get forward as wing-backs, Pochettino was leaving little up to chance.

Spurs rarely looked troubled by a Hull side featuring, at various stages, ex-players Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore and Ryan Mason.

Other tactical alterations in recent weeks certainly had less room to breathe offensively. The 3-5-2/5-3-2 used against Arsenal was as much about withstanding the Gunners' talented attack. The diamond midfield deployed against West Ham and AS Monaco did not prove conducive to the expansive football Spurs aspire to, leaving them too narrow.

Here Spurs were able to move freely, with the threat of Rose and Walker out wide helping to divide the visitors' attention. Though, even defending their flanks, Hull could not stop left-sided centre-back Jan Vertonghen and the right-sided Eric Dier from sending their respective wingers forward to cut in and tee up Eriksen's goals either side of half-time.

The Dane was one of those to particularly benefit from Spurs' formation change.

Nominally situated in central midfield alongside Wanyama, he found space to pick the ball up often and in the knowledge passing options would be at hand across the breadth of the pitch.

Although completing 88 per cent of his passing, per Squawka, most notable was the range to switch things up allowed by the deeper vantage point. In comparison, playing further forward against Manchester United, his pass rate was 76 per cent and mostly confined to largely unproductive close-quarter exchanges.

Initially identifying Eriksen as operating in a deep-lying playmaker role, Hull did not take him into account when the ball advanced beyond midfield. Untracked by anyone, he twice took advantage, scoring his fourth (detailed in the graphic below) and fifth goals in five games.

There was no ignoring the advanced role he returned to late in the game, moving further forward when Harry Winks replaced Dele Alli.

Buoyed by his brace, he joyfully danced around Hull challenges and might have had a hat-trick had David Marshall not pushed his free-kick against the woodwork. Consolation came in the form of Wanyama's gleefully taken rebound that made it 3-0.

For all Eriksen enjoyed his night, and Spurs his efforts, his was one of the individual displays that has also confused matters for Pochettino.

The 24-year-old has mostly played in attacking midfield under the Argentinian, often asked to influence things coming in from the left. This was a reminder of how effective he can be at the centre of things.

Pochettino will likely point to this and the 3-4-3—or 3-4-2-1 if you want to be pedantic with some of the positioning—as being his game plan just for Hull. Dembele's return would be one factor in a different approach for the challenges of Burnley on Sunday and Southampton post-Christmas.

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But Eriksen was not alone in making the case for change.

Moussa Sissoko was another who enjoyed the adjustments made by his manager.

Given his chance after an energetic cameo off the bench against Manchester United, he was deployed with Alli in a supporting role to Kane. Not confined to the right flank as he has been for the majority of his Tottenham appearances, the Frenchman gave an encouraging indication to how he could work as a central battering ram.

With his two shot attempts going way off target, Sissoko could still stand to improve his final-third composure. But Pochettino would be wrong not to keep an open mind in regard to his positioning moving forward.

Winks was again lively in his half-hour too.

Although Hull's midfield was far from the most combative he will face, it was still impressive to watch him confidently receive and make use of the ball. The England youth international is making up for his lack of physical stature with increasingly eye-catching demonstrations of good spatial awareness and a range of skills to maximise his time in possession.

Even with the opportunities handed to Winks so far this season, Pochettino has been careful not to give him responsibility prematurely. Improved performances from Dembele in recent weeks have meant it has not been necessary anyway.

At some point, Winks will need a run of games to truly test himself in, though. His boss will have a hard call to make.

Dier has experienced the repercussions of Tottenham's competition for places in midfield as much as anyone. It has been the reliable Wanyama who has specifically restricted his opportunities here.

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The England international has not lost out too much overall. His versatility means he can play in defence too, so here he played on the right side of Spurs' back three.

The prospect of calling on a defence consistently featuring Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Vertonghen must be tempting for Pochettino. With Rose and Walker reiterating their suitability to the role of wing-backs, he could experiment further with it, and there is a strong possibility Spurs would not lose out.

But some in his team would have to make way as the team is shuffled to accommodate Dier at the back. Son was dropped against Hull, but anyone from Alli to Dembele or, when he is available again, Erik Lamela could see their playing time minimised as a consequence.

For the most part, it all adds up to a situation most managers would envy. Second from bottom in the league, Hull boss Mike Phelan would not mind having to decide which internationals he should leave out of his side right about now.

In the context of Tottenham's roller coaster of a season, it is more complicated.

It is good Pochettino and his coaching staff are giving thought to working out what works best for their team. Perhaps it is a consistent XI, or maybe a match-by-match approach will be the way forward.

For now, there are more questions than answers. What solutions Pochettino and Spurs come up with will be fascinating to see.

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