Last international break kick-started Spurs’ season, and the manager will look for a similar boost this time around
Battle: Leeds beat Spurs on Saturday
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Sam Tabuteau, Sports Reporter
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Tottenham’s winning run was always likely to be tested at an amped up Elland Road, but they head into the international break with plenty to consider after a tepid attacking display was punished late on by Leeds substitute Noah Okafor.
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Despite failing to hold on for a third successive clean sheet, Spurs’ defence can come away with their heads held high, having handled Leeds’ intensity well for large periods.
It is Spurs’ attack that Roberto De Zerbi will be most disappointed with, as his side failed to create any real chances of note, bar Jan Paul van Hecke’s late header, allowing Leeds to push on and take control of the game.
Spurs were always going to have to suffer here, but the fact they did not have an out-ball meant Leeds felt comfortable keeping the pressure on and committing more bodies forward in search of the opening goal.
It was the hosts who asked all the questions, and eventually their dominance told as Okafor collected the ball inside the area and fired past Antonin Kinsky with a little over 10 minutes to play.
Spurs lack a focal point in attack, with the lively Mathys Tel forced off through injury early on and both Omar Marmoush and Dominic Solanke struggling to assert themselves. The latter pair managed a combined four touches in the opposition box.
Mathys Tel is now an injury concern
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Compare that with the battling performance of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who beat Van Hecke in the air to set in motion Leeds’ opener, and you begin to see where the issue lies.
Spurs spent heavily over the summer, but it is clear they still need to invest in a centre-forward. Solanke has struggled for form and fitness over the last 12 months, while Marmoush is an awkward profile and certainly not cut out to lead the line as the lone striker in De Zerbi’s system.
Spurs returned from the last international break revitalised, and De Zerbi will be glad to have more time on the training ground to iron out his side’s attacking deficiencies.
There was no lack of resilience or application from Spurs today, but they were ultimately let down by the fact that they could not make the ball stick in the final third.
With Spurs frequently turning over possession, Leeds were able to keep hammering away at the visitors’ resolve, and it was inevitable they would capitalise sooner rather than later.
This result is a blip rather than a call for crisis. Spurs have been much improved over the last few weeks, and on another day they would have kept Leeds at bay and celebrated a well-deserved clean sheet.
What their performance highlighted, though, is just how much they miss James Maddison and still long for a striker in the image of Harry Kane.
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