Maybe Tottenham Hotspur must accept that draws against the teams currently in seventh and eighth place are reasonable results. That would be a pretty sad reality, but what about the past 24 months suggests that is unreasonable? Spurs have won consecutive league fixtures just one time this year, back in MW1 and MW2, and are 7-6-7 through 20 fixtures. Where is any reason for optimism?
Perhaps a trip to Bournemouth Wednesday can at least halt some of the negativity. The last time the Cherries won a Premier League contest was before Halloween, landing them down in 15th place. Four of their last six have yielded draws though, including Chelsea (twice) and United, so there is a good chance this is the third straight contest Tottenham ends up in a frustrating deadlock.
Match Details
Date: Wednesday, January 7
Time: 2:30 pm ET, 7:30 pm UK
Location: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
TV: NBCSN/Peacock (US), Sky Sports Golf (UK)
Table: Bournemouth (15th, 23 pts), Spurs (t-13th, 27 pts)
Bournemouth is the original harbinger this season, giving Thomas Frank his first competitive loss after that pair of opening victories. The home side generated a mere 0.2 xG that day — which is somehow only the THIRD lowest output this season — despite going behind in the opening minutes and obviously needing a goal the whole match. It has been downhill for the Cherries since then, but the same could be said for Tottenham.
Two Things to Watch
(Lack of) Dominic Solanke
Solanke was injured right before the first contest against his former club and fittingly seems set to return right after the return fixture. His absence has been felt all season, but with Mohammed Kudus going off injured on Sunday and Brennan Johnson sold to Crystal Palace, the depleted/ineffective attacking corps could use the first-choice striker’s contributions now more than ever.
Whether it is Randal Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert, or some other attacker who steps into the lineup, the opportunities should be there. Bournemouth is 17th in goals allowed and 18th in xGA, surrendering multiple goals in the past three matches and 14 over the last five. The defense is leaky and vulnerable due to Andoni Iraola’s style, which leads to scoring on both ends.
Spurs now have just three goals in their past five league contests and looked really, really tame at Brentford last week, which does bring to question the team’s remarkable road form. However, Frank must realize the urgency here and seize the opportunity against a side that will clearly allow some big chances. Missing Solanke hurts, but there are still enough pieces here to cut open this side, especially on the break.
Departure of Antoine Semenyo
Though Xavi Simons might still end up a great signing, whiffing on Antoine Semenyo, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Eberechi Eze has clearly limited the Spurs attack this season. Instead, Semenyo chose to stay at Bournemouth, but is now on his way to City, likely following Wednesday’s contest. In true Tottenham fashion, the prolific striker will not be able to be avoided despite his impending departure.
Semenyo has nine of the Cherries’ 31 goals so far, which is just three off United who sits in third place. Even in the poor recent run of form, the attack has continued to generate good looks and scored twice in both of last week’s contests (Chelsea, Arsenal). Though Spurs have stopped the bleeding defensively, expect some dicey moments on Wednesday.
Still, as frustrating as it has been to concede cheap goals and/or fail to protect leads, it is arguably worse to see setups like Frank’s against Brentford. Yes, Spurs must be cautious against ambitious sides who will challenge the defense, but lifeless football is not the appropriate counter. Even though Bournemouth are going to press and seek out opportunities, Tottenham cannot just turtle and play for a draw.