Tottenham Hotspur surprised Arsenal in their last game with their formation, and the versatility of this setup will only help the club’s Premier League prospects.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino during the press conference
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino was speaking to the press this week about his decision to move to a 3-4-3 formation in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal, as reported by The Independent, and it is evidence that Spurs could be becoming a more unpredictable force under the Argentine – a worrying sign for others in the Premier League.
“Maybe we use that system on Saturday [against West Ham], or maybe we go back to four at the back,” Pochettino is quoted as saying by the Independent. “We’ll see what happens, because we need to assess some players.
“The most important thing is that the change did not affect the players, they changed very naturally,” he explained. “That knowledge for the players, that they can play in different positions, different tactical systems, is always good. It is more rich, we can change during the game if something doesn’t happen or we cannot find a way to win the game.”
“You see how we play in possession, we play 3-4-3, or 3-3-1-3. You know that we play a lot in possession, with Dier dropped. If you take one video, and analyse a little bit, you realise that we play like with three centre-backs.”
“I think it’s about sometimes finding a solution, to try to make a change, to surprise the opponent,” he said in further comments published by ESPN.
Theo Walcott admitted to BT Sport after the derby draw, in comments that went on to be published by The Independent, that the way Spurs set up surprised the Gunners, and it took some time for Arsenal to get their wits about them despite being the home, and the form, team.
The beauty of Pochettino’s comments are that it gives rival Premier League managers plenty of food for thought whenever they prepare to take on Tottenham.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and Danny Rose with Christian Eriksen after the Arsenal match
With Spurs one of the better sides in the division, and as a team who tend to see a lot of the ball, opponents will have worked hard to develop methods to counter that influence.
The formation Spurs used at the Emirates is a subtle change to what they normally go with, as Pochettino said, but is enough to unsettle the game plans of those they are up against.
Fullbacks Danny Rose and Kyle Walker are given a little less responsibility defensively as wing backs, even though they usually do their best to get forward as part of a back four. Likewise, Eric Dier is more of an established defender than when he is playing midfield, meaning that once Rose and Walker are in position it is a solid back five with someone like Victor Wanyama ahead of them.
Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama in action with Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka
Crucially, with Rose and Walker the only real wide players, it gave Christian Eriksen more of the central role that he would prefer, and he responded by having his best game in weeks against Arsenal.
It is unclear what formation Pochettino will select against West Ham, but with the two tactics a fairly simple switch that need little or no personnel change, Slaven Bilic, and any future opponent, will have two approaches to prepare for.
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