again.
Like the previous game against Wolves, Spurs were doing the same thing against a packed Palace defence, expecting a different outcome instead of the same bit of insanity but got away with it this time.
Before kick-off I X’d… Tweeted…
Can Angeball work against a flat back 10… will Sonny get a touch in the crowded box… will anyone actually stay wide and get behind 'em… #COYS #THFC
— Toxic Web (@Toxic_Web) March 2, 2024
During a first half in which Spurs had 82.5% of the ball the answer to those three questions was a resounding no.
Yet again Angeball had everyone crammed in the middle, everyone cutting inside and packing out an area that was already packed out by the Palace players. Sonny ends up with the fewest touches of any Spurs player, while someone stayed wide a couple of times and chances were created. When they cut in, chances weren’t created. Which led to the half finishing with Palace having more shots. With 17.5% of the ball.
Spurs had their chances in that half, it shouldn’t have finished scoreless. First there was Werner through on goal with just the keeper to be… oh he’s tamely passed it into the keeper’s arms. That came from a sweeping breakaway as did the other decent chance. When Kulusevski kept wide for once and played the ball through to… Emerson fucking Royal. Of all the people on the pitch why did it have to be him. His cross blazed in front of everyone in white as it crossed the face of goal.
Those two chances showed that when Spurs play fast with minimal touches they play at their best. But unfortunately the rest of the half was slow, ponderous as many touches as possible. All in that crowded middle. People wondering why Maddison isn’t functioning since his return. Well, having absolutely no space to work in doesn’t help. Someone stay wide.
People screaming in previous games that Son needed to move centrally and be the front man, yet again highlighting they don’t actually pay attention to what happens with Son central against a flat back 10. Because yet again, in that first half he had the fewest touches of any Spurs player. Of those that started the second half, he had fewer touches than all of them bar Bentancur, who departed 25 minutes before him.
He did hit the post early in that second half – when Kulusevski actually put a cross in with his right – as Spurs were playing better but far too often they were still playing into Palace’s hands.
Even more so when Bentancur fouled Eze ans the defence backed off – well someone had to do something – the England player picking himself up and then blasting the free-kick past Vicario. Oh how predictable.
Things changed really for Spurs a few minutes later for Spurs as Johnson was introduced shortly followed by the departure of Eze. Palace now had nothing, while Spurs had a right footer staying wide on the right.
Werner had a couple of crosses that should have been finished off, Johnson especially should have done better. The German should also have had a penalty, when his foot was hooked. God knows how VAR waved it away. Well, we know.
Then in the 77th minute what we never thought would happen happened. After a bit of rubbish football the ballw as played aimlessly forward by Spurs and was chased down by Johnson. The Palace defender slipped gifting the ball to his opponent who then fought his way past a couple of players, while never really having the ball under control, before putting in the perfect cross across the six yard line for Werner to tap in his first goal. Everyone was expecting him to Sissoko it.
Winger to winger. Ange said they worked on that. Funny that. Because they hardly do it during games as both wingers cut inside and are more likely to be in front of the box than at the back or near post.
Someone asked if we would a Richarlison with Werner. In that a year of it hard work without goals would follow a period such as the Brazilian has had since he came back from surgery on his injury. No. I don’t think we will. I mean Richarlison was scoring for Everton before he signed for Spurs, not many do that, as well as scoring for his country – though not do the math numbers that Eni Aluko thinks – while Werner hasn’t do it since he first left Leipzig, really.
It was only a few minute later when the lead was taken as someone finally put a cross in on someone in white’s head. From a throw Maddison lofted the ball into the six yard box for Romero to fight for and win, his header.
Now Palace had to come out. They couldn’t sit back and defend a loss. Which ten minutes later showed where Son should be as the ball the ball was played forward by Johnson, wide on the wing with plenty of room to attack. It was almost a carbon copy of the Werner run and chance earlier in the game but while no one really expected Werner to score, everyone knew Son would.
So we had a few minutes of Spurs playing how they should and a overwhelming amount of time where they did exactly what Palace wanted. All it takes is someone to stay wide, someone to get to the byline, someone to put crosses in. don’t know how many times I’ve said it, under Poch, Mourinho, Conte now Ange. Triangles, one twos, one touch stuff. Push and run. Stay wide and get behind them. When they come to defend you can’t play through the middle. You can’t cram everyone in that space the width of the box.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”…