Tottenham Hotspur’s narrow win over Crystal Palace may have eased some short-term pressure, but a closer look at the performance suggests deeper issues remain beneath the surface.
Many Tottenham Hotspur fans have consistently voiced their desire for the club to play front-foot attacking football.
However, under Thomas Frank, such displays have been hard to come by, even though Spurs have secured victories in several games already this season.
The Tottenham faithful remain unconvinced by the Dane, with many wondering if he is the right man to lead the club forward, given his pragmatic approach.
Stats highlight concerns after Tottenham win over Crystal Palace
Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace was more of the same from Tottenham, who were far from attacking in the first forty-five minutes.
In fact, Spurs failed to create a single chance from open play in the first half against Oliver Glasner’s side, with their only goal coming from a set piece.
Frank will take the win regardless, given the pressure and criticism he has received in recent months, but the underlying numbers show that the victory is merely papering over the cracks at Spurs.
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Tottenham were still far from being the dominant attacking side that many fans are desperate to see.
Stats show that Spurs managed eight shots in the game against Crystal Palace, with four of those on target.
However, they created just one big chance against their London rivals, who were far more threatening in attack and could quite easily have beaten Spurs on another day.
Palace, on the other hand, recorded 15 shots, two on target, two big chances created and had an expected goals figure of 1.47, compared to Spurs’ xG of 0.88.