Defensive Solidity Mindset: Pragmatism Proving as Key for Tottenham
Outscoring the rivals was the approach at the club last year but now the emphasis is on stopping goals at the other end of the field.
Midweek's narrow win against the Spanish side in the team's UCL first match was the yet another clean sheet they had kept in their opening five games to date.
By comparison, they had recorded just one at the comparable stage of last campaign, when the more attack-minded the former boss was in control.
“We talked a lot about 'clean sheet mentality' this year because we let in a lot last year,” the club midfielder one of the stars stated.
Center-back Van de Ven commented: “I think we are a tough team to play against, definitely. Structure-wise we are positioned really good and we all know what to do, so we're a hard team to beat.”
The approach of the team against the Yellow Submarine was in stark contrast to the free-flowing football played under their ex-coach.
They were much more defensive, even after being handed a quick-fire opener thanks to a calamitous mistake by their rivals goalkeeper Luiz Junior.
Stronger Backline but at an Offensive Cost?
The North Londoners have conceded just the one goal so far - in the narrow loss to their Premier League rivals.
That is a major improvement on how they began the prior campaign, when they allowed five goals in their first five games.
In the English top flight they have kept three clean sheets already - meaning they are just two from equalling their total for the entire of last season.
The more stable platform is possibly coming at a cost, however, with their one shot on target against the La Liga side the second occasion in their last three games they had managed very limited efforts on goal.
The manager recognizes this is an area that has to improve.
“We have a very good foundation to stand on in terms of our defensive organisation and I think it's solid and we gave not much away,” he said.
“We are in the Champions League against a strong team. Additionally, I knew we took a step forward against their London rivals, offensively is the area we need to get better.”
