Tottenham Hotspur went 85 minutes without scoring a goal against Aston Villa, and their attacking statistics reveal a key concern in one area.
Brave and attacking football is part of the DNA of Tottenham Hotspur. Even when Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs team were conceding goals left, right and centre last season, they were still scoring plenty of goals.
It has been a different story at Tottenham under the management of Thomas Frank. The defence is much improved, but Spurs have looked short on inspiration and creativity in recent weeks.
Frank’s team have had some impressive attacking displays in the Premier League, including 3-0 victories over Burnley and West Ham. However, questions have been asked of Tottenham’s lack of attacking threat across recent matches, most recently during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Tottenham are not creating enough chances
According to the statistics, there is no team more clinical than Spurs in the Premier League this season. Their shot conversion rate of 16.3 per cent is superior to any other team, which will please Thomas Frank.
As a result, Tottenham are joint fourth for goals scored. However, their expected goals from open play tally stands at a measly 5.94, which is only the 12th best in the league.
Spurs have only created 13 big chances this season, with only five teams creating fewer opportunities. They are also struggling to get shots away. In fact, 12 teams have taken more shots than Tottenham, who have struck 86 efforts in total.
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Spurs are struggling without their key creators
Frank has been without Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, but finishing is clearly not the problem. It is the unavailability of certain wingers and midfielders which is causing Tottenham to struggle in attack.
Heung-min Son assisted more Premier League goals than any other player last season, but he was sold to LAFC. James Maddison registered the second most assists, and Dejan Kulusevski was fourth on the list.
The playing style of Frank has been criticised, and perhaps that has played a part in Tottenham’s underwhelming attack.
What must also be considered is that the most creative players Spurs had last season are not available to play, and the likes of Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are not offering the same level of innovation at this point in time.