Under the coaching of new manager Thomas Frank, Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in the top three of the Premier League after seven games.Â
At the core of the improvement from last season has been an improved defensive structure, giving the team a high floor. A season after finishing 17th in the league largely due to a porous defense that conceded the fifth-most goals, Spurs currently rank second-best in the category, going from conceding 1.71 goals per game last season to 0.71 goals per game this season.Â
This seasonâs defense has restricted the number of fastbreaks conceded to the opposition due to the deeper defensive line. This can be seen in the data from Opta, with Spurs conceding the joint-fourth lowest fastbreaks with 0.43 per game, and they are yet to concede from such a situation. Contrast this with last season, where the high-line and the defensive structure often caused vicious counter-attacks, with Spurs conceding the fourth-most fast-breaks with 1.13 per game and conceding the second-most goals in the league.Â
When the defense has been breached, Vicarioâs shot-stopping has prevented multiple goals. According to Opta, Vicario has prevented the highest number of goals in the Premier League this season, with 2.9 goals prevented, and has the second-highest save percentage with 82.8%.
Tottenham are more direct under Thomas Frank
The attack has also seen a change of philosophy, and while the results have been positive, itâs fair to say itâs a work in process. Spurs have gone to a more direct and pragmatic approach, relying on crossing and set pieces as a major source of attack. However, Spurs have become stagnant with a lack of central midfield progression at times, with the systematic reliance on wider overloads combined with not having progressive players in the middle.
Although itâs partially down to Spurs finding themselves in positive game-states by taking early leads in a few games, one could argue that Spurs are quite fortunate to score 13 goals from a combined 7.53 expected goals (Opta) this season.
The biggest positive for Spurs has been new signing Mohmmad Kudus, who has seemingly made things happen out of nothing all season long. The assist-leader of the league this season ranks 1st among Premier League wingers in expected assists, successful dribbles, offensive duels won, accurate crosses, successful attacking actions, and duels won according to DataMB.
The likes of Pedro Porro with his progressive passing and crossing, and Cristian Romeroâs deep progressions and carrying, along with his astute defending, have been some of the other big positives from the season so far
The Left-hand side has found a semblance of stability with the likes of Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert after notable struggles in attack earlier in the season.Â
The return from injuries could also provide major boosts for the team moving forward. Dominic Solankeâs hold-up play would give an outlet for build-up that has felt missing at times this season. Dejan Kulusevski will be a welcome addition when he recovers from his injury as a versatile player in the attack. Long-term, James Maddison is one of the finest playmakers in the league, and Spurs would be hoping for him to return to his best after his cruciate ligament.
Recently integrated and signed players like Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons, and Randall Kolo Muani provide further upside for Spurs moving forward.
Under Thomas Frank, Spurs have completely changed styles and have shown the ability to get the results. With the Foundations set, itâs time for the team to find its ceiling.