Defensive Frailties Undermining Tottenham's Champions League Pursuit

Tottenham’s rare break from action will give Mauricio Pochettino a chance to deal with his biggest issue: a defence which is far below the standard of their top-four rivals.

Spurs have conceded the same amount of goals as three of the Premier League’s bottom six (Hull, West Brom and Aston Villa) and more than any other top-half side.

That tally is nine higher than any of the current top four and twice as many as fourth-placed Southampton.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/table

Hugo Lloris has also kept just six clean sheets, which is all the more remarkable given the France captain is considered one of the league’s top goalkeepers. The stand-in Spurs skipper attracted widespread praise for his role in last weekend’s north London derby victory, while he has more votes than any other player in his position in Spurs' Ultimate Team.

The vulnerability of the four in front of him was laid bare in Tuesday night’s defeat to Liverpool, with a series of defensive errors seeing them leave Anfield empty-handed. 

Eric Dier’s poor marking was exposed late on, allowing Mario Balotelli to finish from close range and snatch all three points. It was the second time Dier’s inability to stay with his man cost Spurs, with Lazar Markovic able to stroll into the box to open the deadlock.

The centre-back’s mistakes sandwiched Danny Rose’s reckless challenge, which allowed Steven Gerrard to slot home from the spot and left Pochettino with plenty to ponder.

Rose’s costly mistake was an all-too-familiar error for the north London club, as highlighted by @OptaJoe:

Spurs’ leaky displays are a far cry from Pochettino’s former club, with Southampton boasting the best defensive record in the Premier League. However, the Argentinian can take little credit for the Saints back line, having not signed any of their current defenders.

In contrast he sought to bring in three defenders after being appointed Spurs manager: Federico Fazio, Deandre Yedlin and Dier (with the latter handed the chance in the last two games).

Having impressed in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over rivals Arsenal, Dier was exposed on Tuesday night, raising questions as to whether Fazio will be reinstalled alongside Jan Vertonghen.

There also remain concerns over the left-back berth, with Rose proving a threat going forward but falling short defensively for a second successive game, having been caught out by Danny Welbeck in the buildup to Arsenal’s opener at White Hart Lane.

The other issue is the protection of the back four, with neither Ryan Mason nor Nabil Bentaleb offering the sort of support required.

Pochettino had the more restrained duo of Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin at St Mary's but has opted for a more attacking approach at Spurs. 

Benjamin Stambouli has started just four Premier League games this season, while fellow defensive midfielder Etienne Capoue was reportedly almost allowed to leave during the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports.

Harry Kane and his supporting cast have been playing their parts in delivering the goals, but there’s a danger that their efforts will be wasted if issues at the other end of the pitch are not resolved.

With a top-four finish still in sight, the Europa League knockout stages to begin on Thursday and a Capital One Cup final coming up at the start of March, Pochettino will surely use the nine-day break to tighten things up at the back for the business end of the season.