Rob Daly, official club commentator, presenter and pundit
Pressing machines
“(Conor) Gallagher… when when he plays well, we play with 12 players,” said De Zerbi on Sunday, describing the England midfielder as “amazing”. He scored a superb goal – but primarily shone with his harassing of Aston Villa as they tried to play out - angling his runs and timing them perfectly to cause problems. On top of that, the team is working very well collectively without the ball. Opta numbers show Spurs have won possession in the final third 5.3 times per game under the new Head Coach – up from 3.7 on average prior to his arrival.
Playing Palhinha
The midfield functioned effectively in that 2-1 victory too. Rodrigo Bentancur shone again having brought stability since his return from injury, but Joao Palhinha’s inclusion was notable. The Portugal international scored the winner at Wolves the weekend prior – and hit the post at Villa Park from distance. But he also showed passion against Villa - high-fiving team-mates and celebrating after notable interventions. “I love Palhinha like this,” explained De Zerbi after a game which saw one notable moment – as he forced three Villa players into a blind panic by charging at them in build-up before the ball was put out for a corner. His challenge on Ross Barkley before dribbling away caught the eye too – with Palhinha now ranking second in the Premier League for total tackles made (100). But in build-up he often appeared as a right-sided centre-back of three, forcing passes forward down the line, infield to Bentancur or high across the pitch to Mathys Tel to stretch the game.
Stopping Leeds' attack
After picking up 10 points from their last four games, Leeds have steered themselves away from trouble. The stand-out result was a Monday night victory at Manchester United – with a 2-1 scoreline that flattered the hosts. Rapid forward Noah Okafor got both goals that night and is an in-form threat, scoring six times across his last 408 minutes of action. He can play in a front two or three with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is excelling with his robust centre-forward play. Back in the England fold, the summer signing from Everton is proving to be an excellent out-ball and has scored 12 league goals this season in a formation that works very well for Leeds.
Switch a system, save a season
Back in November, 2-0 down to Manchester City, Leeds looked in trouble, but Daniel Farke switched formation at half-time – to 3-5-2, having used 4-3-3. Leeds roared back and got level before Phil Foden won it in added time but, regardless of the loss, the system stuck, with any two of Jayden Bogle, Gabriel Gudmundsen and James Justin providing a threat at wing-back. Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu provide Leeds their protective midfield base, with former Spurs man Joe Rodon amongst the options to play one of the centre-back roles.