Sandro Tonali has covered more ground than any other Tottenham Hotspur player in the Premier League this season, while Archie Gray leads the squad when it comes to sprints per 90 minutes.
The latest running statistics from FotMob offer an interesting insight into the demands Roberto De Zerbi places on his players, with Tottenham’s full-backs particularly prominent in the sprinting rankings.
Spurs have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, although the defeat to Leeds was a setback after their recent run of victories. The running numbers provide another way of assessing the squad, revealing which players are covering the most ground and making the most sprints.
There are some interesting differences between the three rankings, with the players covering the greatest total distance not necessarily the ones who run the furthest or sprint the most per 90 minutes.
Sandro Tonali has covered more ground than any Tottenham player
According to FotMob’s Premier League statistics, Tonali has covered 113.6km across Tottenham’s opening ten league matches, putting him comfortably ahead of the rest of the squad.
The Italian has covered 11.4km more than Jan Paul van Hecke, who sits second on 102.2km. Archie Gray is third with 91.8km, while Micky van de Ven and Andrew Robertson complete the top five.
Tonali’s position at the top is perhaps not surprising given his role in the middle of the park, where he is regularly involved in both attacking and defensive phases. However, Van Hecke’s position in second is worth highlighting, with the centre-back having covered more ground than several of Tottenham’s midfielders.
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These are cumulative figures, so playing time is an important factor. Players who have featured regularly will naturally have more opportunities to build up their totals than those who have been in and out of the side.
Mateus Fernandes and Dominic Solanke lead Tottenham’s distance per 90
The picture changes when looking at distance covered per 90 minutes, with Mateus Fernandes and Dominic Solanke both averaging 12km.
Fernandes’ numbers stand out given the amount of ground midfielders are required to cover in De Zerbi’s system. Solanke’s figure is also impressive, although the striker’s more limited playing time means his average should be treated with some caution when comparing him with regular starters.
Tonali and Gray are not far behind, both averaging 11.6km per 90 minutes. The figures underline how much running the pair get through, even though their roles in the side are quite different.
One interesting detail is that Van Hecke, who sits second for total distance covered, drops to fifth when the figures are adjusted for playing time. It shows why the two measurements need to be considered separately rather than treating the total-distance rankings as a definitive measure of work rate.
Fernandes also provides an interesting contrast with Tonali. The Italian has accumulated more kilometres across the season, but Fernandes’ average suggests he is covering slightly more ground during the minutes he spends on the pitch.
Archie Gray leads Tottenham’s sprinting statistics
Perhaps the most revealing figures come from FotMob’s sprints-per-90 rankings, where Tottenham’s full-backs dominate the top three.
Gray leads the way with 17.5 sprints per 90 minutes, ahead of Destiny Udogie on 15 and Robertson on 13.9. The Leeds academy graduate is averaging 2.5 more sprints per 90 than his nearest teammate, which is a considerable difference.
It is also notable that Pedro Porro features sixth on the list, meaning four Tottenham full-backs are among the squad’s six highest-ranked players for sprint frequency.
Gray’s position at the top is particularly impressive given that he also ranks third for total distance covered and joint third for distance per 90 among the players in our earlier table. The youngster is featuring prominently across different physical measures rather than excelling in just one area.
Why De Zerbi’s full-backs feature so prominently
The sprinting figures are interesting when considering the responsibilities De Zerbi gives his full-backs, particularly when Tottenham are building attacks.
Rather than simply asking them to overlap on the outside, the Spurs head coach also uses movements into central areas, with his full-backs making underlapping runs to offer another attacking option.
Those movements can require repeated bursts of acceleration, while the players also have to recover their defensive positions when Tottenham lose possession. That could help explain why Gray, Udogie and Robertson feature so prominently in the rankings, although the sprinting figures alone cannot tell us where or why those runs occurred.
The demands of De Zerbi’s approach were recently explored by tactical analyst Harrison TO on The Overlap Breakdown, which examines the movements of Tottenham’s full-backs and how they contribute to the team’s attacking structure.
What Tottenham’s running stats tell us about the squad
There are three players who stand out from the figures for different reasons. Tonali leads the way for total distance, Fernandes shares the highest distance-per-90 average among the selected players, and Gray is Tottenham’s most frequent sprinter.
Gray arguably deserves particular credit for appearing so high across the different categories. His running numbers suggest he is handling a physically demanding role, and his ability to cover ground as well as make repeated sprints is clearly useful to De Zerbi.
However, there is an important distinction between running a lot and running effectively. Distance and sprint totals do not measure the quality of a player’s positioning, the timing of their movements or how often their runs help Tottenham create or prevent chances.
What the figures do show is that different positions are being asked to make different physical contributions. As Spurs continue adapting to De Zerbi’s methods, it will be interesting to see whether those patterns remain consistent and, more importantly, whether the work being put in translates into better performances.