The underlying numbers from Tottenham’s displays this season have exposed Roberto De Zerbi’s biggest problem and why Spurs are struggling for goals.
It has been an up-and-down season so far for Tottenham Hotspur, who have had their moments of struggle as well as their moments of bliss.
The start of the campaign was about as bad as it could get for Spurs, who went six games without a win and found themselves in the bottom three.
That was definitely not where Roberto De Zerbi will have hoped to see his side after they narrowly escaped relegation the previous campaign.
However, Spurs’ fortunes turned for the better in October, with the Lilywhites playing some of their best football under the Italian.
Not only were Tottenham impressing on the pitch, but this time the results followed, with Spurs winning three of their four games in October. That run saw them climb out of the bottom three and up to ninth, before their latest defeat to Leeds saw them fall to 11th.
Tottenham top the Premier League for passes into the final third
Statistics from StatMuse have now revealed that, despite Tottenham’s topsy-turvy campaign, they rank top in the Premier League for passes into the final third.
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That is more than the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Brighton, Liverpool and Chelsea, who currently occupy the top five.
This is hardly surprising given De Zerbi’s tactical philosophy, with the Italian prioritising quick build-up play to get his side’s attacks started as quickly as possible.
Interestingly, spearheading that build-up are his centre-backs, Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven, with no player in the league making more line-breaking passes than Van Hecke.
The Dutchman also tops Tottenham’s charts for completed passes and passes into the final third.
Stats reveal why Spurs are struggling for goals
However, while Tottenham are constantly looking to start attacks and are playing more balls into the final third than anyone else, they are struggling in another key area.
StatMuse also revealed that Spurs rank 18th in the Premier League for goals scored this campaign.
That is rather shocking, given how front-footed De Zerbi’s side are in attack, and it highlights the main issue currently holding them back.
It would be easy to point the finger at the attackers, but Spurs also rank 17th for expected goals (xG), which tells a different story.
An xG that low means the chances being created are not particularly clear-cut. With Spurs 17th for xG and 18th for goals, their forwards are scoring roughly what the chances they get would suggest, so the bigger problem lies in the quality of the chances rather than the finishing.