Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand has been discussing Tottenham’s style of play after an unconvincing win against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Spurs limped over the line against the Cherries on Saturday, and it was telling that two of their three goals came from set plays.
Spurs have been somewhat reliant on set-pieces recently, and Ferdinand has now mocked the north London club for becoming what he calls a ‘set-piece team’.
The pundit even joked that Spurs have Tony Pulis or Sam Allardyce in their backroom team after watching their recent performances under Conte.
A set-piece team
Ferdinand accused Spurs of becoming a team overly reliant on their set plays.
“They’ve become a set-piece team haven’t they? The best in the league at set-pieces, have they got Tony Pulis or Big Sam back in the fray somewhere? Imagine being a set-piece team when you have Kane and Son in your squad,” Ferdinand said.
Not sustainable
The reality is that Spurs are becoming too reliant on set plays, and that just isn’t sustainable if you want to be a successful team.
Yes, it worked well at the weekend, but, with all due respect, Bournemouth don’t even have a permanent manager right now, they’re not going to be the best team when it comes to defending set-plays.
More organised teams will do their homework and will stop Spurs, and while the north London club’s set-piece coach will have a few tricks up his sleeve, he won’t have an infinite number of drills to call upon.
Antonio Conte’s Tottenham are struggling at the moment, and their prowess from set-plays may just be papering over the cracks of what is a house built on unstable foundations.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
