Tottenham vs. Manchester United: Areas Where the Clash Will Be Won and Lost
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United is a clash with a lot on the line.
For Mauricio Pochettino, it will be a chance to either keep pace with or make ground up on Leicester City, depending on their result at Sunderland earlier on Sunday. For Louis van Gaal, it will be a chance to prove United are serious contenders in the battle for the top four.
After back-to-back wins over Manchester City and Everton, the challenge of the trip to White Hart Lane is a big one. United have not won there since 2012, and only the Foxes have earned more points at home than Spurs this season.
So where will the game be won and lost? There are intriguing matchups all over the pitch. Given Spurs' home form, United's away form and the relative league positions of the two sides, Pochettino should be confident about his side's chances.
However, Van Gaal's United have shown the capacity to spring a surprise. They were relatively unfancied ahead of the Manchester derby for example. But they have also shown the capacity to thoroughly disappoint. Predicting which version of United will show up is risky.
However, predicting what the key battles will be is a little easier than predicting which team will come out on top. Let's take a look at where this one will be won and lost.
Mousa Dembele vs. United's Midfield
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United's midfield is far from their greatest strength. In spite of the new recruits brought in since his arrival in 2014, Van Gaal has yet to hit upon a formula he believes in. With Bastian Schweinsteiger injured two of Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini will line up against Spurs.
Mousa Dembele will not be alone in Spurs' midfield, but he will be tasked with supplying possession to the more advanced players. His role has changed, as Tottenham legend Ledley King told Sky Sports:
"He used to be more of an attacking player in his early Spurs days but now he seems to be all over the pitch and is defending very well too. He has got so much flair but what goes unnoticed is how hard he works.
With the strength he has, he just breaks things up in that midfield. When people try to go past him, he just pushes them off the ball and makes it look easy. Sometimes that can go a bit unnoticed. If you're not sliding around the pitch you might think he's not doing anything, but he's a really important player for the team.
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Dembele averages 4.5 tackles per 90 minutes in the league—the most in the Spurs setup—and boasts a remarkable 90.2 per cent pass-completion average. His ability to impose himself as both a defensive asset and attacking threat will be crucial here. United's lacklustre midfield will have to be at its best to deal with him.
Anthony Martial vs. Kyle Walker
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United's midfield signings may have struggled to make key breakthroughs this season, but their star attacking acquisition has not. Anthony Martial is in form, with three goals in his last four games—all from a left-wing starting berth.
Kyle Walker—Martial's likely direct opponent—has been dribbled past an average of 0.8 times per 90 minutes of league football this season. He will have to be at his best to ensure he keeps the France international's number of successful dribbles to minimum.
If he does not, or if United can find Martial in space when Walker has joined in the attack, it could prove costly for Spurs.
Harry Kane vs. Daley Blind
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Harry Kane was the first of many star Premier League centre-forwards Daley Blind had to marshal following his move to centre-back this season.
Kane clearly targeted his positionally inexperienced opponent. At times at Old Trafford back in August, it looked as if the England international was man-marking Blind rather than the other way around.
United kept a clean sheet that day, and Blind did what he has subsequently done to Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku, keeping Kane off the scoresheet and pretty much under control.
Of course, that was before the Premier League's leading scorer had found form. He will likely prove a different proposition on Sunday given he is on fire at the moment. He has five goals in his last three games, and no defender in the land would relish a matchup against him in this form.
Blind kept Lukaku quiet in United's last outing; nullifying Kane on Sunday would be some feat.
Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard vs. Eric Dier
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In recent weeks, Jesse Lingard has moved inside to No. 10 for United, with Juan Mata ostensibly operating on the right. However, a look at Mata's heatmap during the 1-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday shows Mata often cut inside, with Lingard drifting out wide to replace him on the right.
Eric Dier has been a crucial part of Spurs' success this season. He and Dembele are both making an average of 2.3 interceptions per 90 minutes of league football. Dier's positioning and use of the ball when he wins it back have made him vital to Pochettino's plan.
While United's attacking midfield has not exactly been the most potent force this season, there were signs of a more fluid approach to movement off the ball against Everton. If Dier does not keep his wits about him, the Red Devils could get some joy from this.
Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen vs. United's Midfield
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Spurs' attacking midfield, on the other hand, has been one of the league's most impressive this season. Christian Eriksen, for example, is averaging 3.7 key passes per 90 minutes of football played in the league.
That is fourth-best record in the division among players with five or more appearances. Only Mesut Ozil, Dimitri Payet and Kevin De Bruyne have made key passes at a faster rate.
Dele Alli and Eriksen both have nine league assists—joint-fourth in the division. They have helped Kane with goalscoring duties too—seven for Alli and six for Eriksen. These are highly respectable numbers.
They operate in an area of the pitch where United have sometimes been vulnerable this season, particularly in games in which Morgan Schneiderlin has not played. October's 3-0 drubbing away at Arsenal is a good example.
Van Gaal will surely select Schneiderlin for this one, but even so, the France international is likely to have his hands full with Alli and Eriksen.
Marcus Rashford vs. Kevin Wimmer
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Spurs' defence has been the meanest in the league so far this season, conceding just 25 goals. Only Manchester United and Arsenal have conceded fewer at home, both of those teams having played one less game at their own grounds than Pochettino's men.
Much of that defensive stability has been built on the triumvirate of Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. Vertonghen's injury broke up the central-defensive partnership, and Kevin Wimmer stepped in to replace him. Spurs' defence has hardly collapsed since, but given Wimmer's status as understudy, Marcus Rashford may look to target him.
Rashford's pace and cool finishing was on show for his winner against City in March, but against Everton, he showed off another string to his bow: creativity. It was his imaginative backheel to lay the ball off to Timothy Fosu-Mensah, whose cross led to Martial's goal.
Between his ability on and off the ball, Rashford clearly has the potential to hurt any defender he faces.
All advanced data per WhoScored.com.
Custom table data per Statto.com.
