Tottenham Hotspur vs. Everton: Tactical Preview of Premier League Game
A veritable Europa League hangover beckons as Tottenham Hotspur host Everton on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. Both sides, fresh from victory on Thursday evening, will be looking to make a statement domestic win.
Let's take a look at how this game could play out from a tactical perspective.
Tottenham Hotspur News
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The Daily Mail reports Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has several selection dilemmas to contend with this weekend, and a change in shape could be forced.
Emmanuel Adebayor, Younes Kaboul, Etienne Capoue, Andros Townsend, Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose have all been absent for one reason or another, with Rose, Capoue and Chadli the big concerns ahead of this fixture.
Europa League regular Harry Kane did not play against Partizan Belgrade, perhaps suggesting he could start again here against the Toffees. Kyle Naughton is suspended.
Everton News
According to the Daily Mail, four Everton players are in contention to return to the starting XI, fitness tests pending. Gareth Barry, Steven Naismith, Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines are all 50/50.
In reality, Martinez will only be looking to Baines as a must-start should he be fit, as Samuel Eto'o has been performing superbly up front and Leon Osman and Muhamed Besic can carry the torch in holding midfield. James McCarthy's hamstring tweak is a concern and will be monitored.
The Toffees should line up a in a 4-2-3-1, but question marks reign over how exactly the players are set. Romelu Lukaku could be wide or up front; Eto'o could be in the hole or up top; Tony Hibbert would be more likely to deputise at left-back than Luke Garbutt.
Key Tactical Point 1: Securing the flanks
Whenever you play Everton, it's a requisite that you protect your flanks. With Baines a possible return to the XI and Seamus Coleman fit and firing, the dual threat returns to the Toffees' full-back slots.
Mauricio Pochettino would be wise to field hardworking wingers to help cover the full-backs—particularly if Danny Rose misses the game, forcing Ben Davies into the XI. (The English speedster's pace would be a welcome commodity in tracking).
Martinez has also shown a tendency to field Romelu Lukaku wide at times, largely from the right, and he could make the task of defending the left flank even harder.
There's an argument here to drop Erik Lamela and play Aaron Lennon, as the latter makes up for a lack of craft with industrious hard work and diligent defensive awareness.
Key Tactical Point 2: Where's the width?
Pochettino's systems have thrived on width in the past, but here at Tottenham he's struggled to find it.
At Southampton he had Luke Shaw raging forward on the left and Nathaniel Clyne doing the same on the right; at Spurs, he has Lamela and Chadli dipping inside and crowding the space Eriksen plays in, while Naughton spends most of his time suspended or injured.
Tottenham look somewhat stunted in the wide areas and that needs to be fixed. It's a direct, major factor contributing to their lack of fluency, lack of chance creation and lack of consistency up front.
With Kane and Roberto Soldado both alive in the box and Eriksen just outside, genuine width and good, whipped crosses could bear plenty of fruit at White Hart Lane. It's well worth testing Baines and Coleman defensively, and it's not too difficult to get behind the former.
