Tottenham are up to second in the Premier League and have won their last five games on the bounce.
Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama closes down Sergio Aguero
Much has been made of Tottenham’s ‘high press’, pressing the opposition high up the pitch, often in packs and trying to win the ball back quickly and in dangerous areas. It is something which manager Mauricio Pochettino is renowned for, having implemented a very similar style at Southampton, and it is one which has seen him become one of the most highly-regarded coaches in Europe.
The Spurs boss’ desire to do so was immediately obvious, shipping out the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Sandro and Lewis Holtby during his first summer in charge, and bringing in players he felt were better suited to the high intensity game Tottenham are now synonymous with. During his first season in charge, Spurs finished 5th, a creditable finish for a side clearly undergoing a transitional period.
Last season, Tottenham were victims of their own success, as many were ultimately disappointed with their third placed finish, having been considered major title contenders at one time. A title challenge in your second season is laudable though, and after a considerably quieter summer than some of their competitors, one or two pundits had their doubts about Spurs chances in the Premier League this season.
Tottenham finished 3rd last season
Seven games into the season and Spurs are already proving any doubters wrong. Second in the league having just comfortably ended Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten run as Manchester City manager, there’s arguably never been a more exciting time to be a Tottenham supporter.
How much of that can be put down to Pochettino’s ‘high-press’, as it has become known? Well one statistic worth looking at is the passing accuracy of the clubs opposition so far this season. To date, Tottenham have faced Everton, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Stoke, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Manchester City.
Every one of them has had poorer passing accuracy against Spurs than their current seasonal average. Stoke City saw the least drop-off, with their passing accuracy falling by 2.4% against Spurs, whilst Liverpool suffered the most noticeable drop-off, a seismic 9.6% fall on their average passing accuracy. The full stats showing the percentage drop off in passing accuracy by each team Tottenham have played this season are below:
Tottenham’s ‘high press’ seems to be working for them
Everton: -8.5%
Crystal Palace: -4.6%
Liverpool: -9.6%
Stoke: -2.4%
Sunderland: -8.0%
Middlesbrough: -6.9%
Manchester City: -5.3%
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks dejected
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