Draw with Manchester United Underscores Recent Improvements from Spurs Defence
LONDON — A tweaked defence with a burgeoning understanding formed around its central defensive pair. An expensive attack filled with some of world football's biggest names, fresh from a comprehensive home win.
Sunday's 0-0 draw between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United was a multifaceted affair, but it was between the above two elements that the game's most engaging, fascinating battle was fought. The resulting contest saw the visitors stifled at White Hart Lane once again and also highlighted the improvement the home side have made in the area of defence since a significant change in late November.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino established Federico Fazio and Jan Vertonghen as his first-choice centre-backs after the month's international break. It has paid off with the Spurs back four turning into a more organised unit than earlier in the campaign when the position was frequently rotated and uncertainty and ill discipline persisted too often.
Injuries and the need to rest players in this Christmastide period have resulted in some alterations at full-back. Mostly, though, the foundation of Fazio and Vertonghen with Hugo Lloris behind them has meant a generally more solid and resilient Spurs defence.
The visit of a Man United side featuring Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie—all scorers in their past two league games—was anticipated as, and proved to be, one of the Lilywhite defence's more exacting tests of late.
They had failed in their previous examination by a club with genuine top-four aspirations, the 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in early December. Right-back Vlad Chiriches (back again Sunday in place of Kyle Walker, who Pochettino said post-match was rested) was bamboozled by Eden Hazard for the Blues' first, while Loic Remy was too quick and too strong for Vertonghen as he scored their third. Even the usually imperious Hugo Lloris made a bad mistake when he gave it away for Chelsea's second, scored by Didier Drogba.
Man United may have fallen behind Chelsea and others in the battle for Premier League supremacy in the past year or so, but their own attacking talent is still comparable quality-wise.
The lack of edge about the Red Devils attack on this occasion, particularly as the game progressed, was perhaps because of festive-fixture fatigue. That was manager Louis van Gaal's take on it anyway.
"We had to play a match within 48 hours," Van Gaal said. "The body is not recovered and I don't have the possibility to change because we do not have the fittest players in the world.
"It's scientifically proven that the body cannot recover within 48 hours. When, as an FA, you allow to play matches, you see what it's like. The second half was much different to the first half and not only for Manchester United, also for Tottenham."
His counterpart, Pochettino, was less inclined to use tiredness as an excuse for his team failing to earn the win. He was more satisfied with what he termed "a fair result." Asked about his defence, he praised his team's efforts stopping United's scoring but also emphasized there are still ways the team can improve.
"Clean sheet—I think that is important," the Argentinian noted first of all. "I think that always you need to improve in different actions, there is always something to improve.
"But in general I am happy with the performance from the team. I'm very pleased because our players made a big effort today after less than 48 hours [on from the Boxing Day win over Leicester City], and having to play again the effort was great."
Spurs certainly were not faultless. In the first half, Rooney almost went in behind the defence and Falcao slipped in between the central defenders on more than one occasion. Chiriches came inside to deny him one of these times, and he was also on hand to make a crucial last-ditch clearance from the six-yard box when a Juan Mata free-kick rebounded off the post.
The Romanian had more trouble defending Ashley Young on his right flank. His failure to get close enough to the left-winger shortly before the interval almost proved costly when Lloris was forced to tip his cross-shot wide. The Frenchman had earlier made a terrific point-blank stop from Van Persie after he broke the offside trap.
"Lloris is one of the best 'keepers in the world," Pochettino said smiling. "It is not new for me, we know and you know the quality from Hugo."
Yet, even amid these Man United chances, there was an admirable desire to compete from the Spurs defence. Something that was not always evident in the Leicester win (particularly from the disappointing Kyle Walker).
That competitiveness grew into something not far removed from dominance in the second half. Man United still had opportunities to shoot—Mata should have done better when he blasted over from eight yards—but they were rare.
As tallied by Squawka, Fazio won six of his eight aerial duels with Van Persie and Falcao (the only two he did not were fouls). When the Dutchman looked to have turned him on the ground in the 48th minute, he swiftly recovered with a precise slide-tackle.
Vertonghen was not drawn so frequently into these one-on-one moments, but he was sufficiently diligent when needed to clear or mop up for one of his team-mates.
With the help of Andros Townsend and later substitute Erik Lamela, Chiriches was less pestered by Young as the game went on. He got tighter to the wide-man and proceeded to successfully shepherd him away from trouble. Ben Davies did similarly good work on the opposite flank with Antonio Valencia.
Fazio was understandably pleased with the team's overall effort. His defence specifically was elevated by Ryan Mason and Benjamin Stambouli pounding the grass in front of them from whistle to whistle. Mata, Rooney and others got the better of them from time to time, but they never had it easy.
The aforementioned wingers, the ever-industrious front-man Harry Kane—Spurs earned their point against a team who have shown themselves capable of scoring against just about everyone this season.
Chelsea come to White Hart Lane on New Year's Day. To potentially go one better and record a big three points to begin 2015, Tottenham will need to replicate the desire and the attention to detail in their opponents' work that gradually emerged from their defence this weekend.
Should they do so, the evidence of their own attacking threat was ample enough to suggest they are capable of a comprehensive performance that might match Jose Mourinho's side in a way they did not at Stamford Bridge.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
