Why Can't Spurs Score?

Article by Spurs Correspondent Ashley Caparelli

Goals have been hard to come by for the Lilly Whites so far this term having only scored 9 goals in 11 matches, the 6 victories they have achieved so far can be attributed to the solid defence. Having brought in a plethora of creative talent and goal scores in the summer, AVB must be scratching his head as to why there has been such a struggle to put the ball in the back of the net.

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AVB favours wingers to play on opposite flanks, meaning that they are likely to cut in to provide and attacking impetus through the middle of the park, it may look amazing when it works however it does not work often enough. The problem with this is that the number of crosses per game has been pitiful with the full backs providing much of the width. Along with the lack of crosses from the midfield, the inverted wingers add to an already congested centre of the pitch.

With most teams playing a packed midfield, it has been very difficult for Spurs (or any side) to break down a defence through the centre of the pitch, yet they continue to try and do so. If the wingers were encouraged to try and attack the by-line, the opposition would likely become stretched, especially since Spurs' wingers would be backed up by the attack-minded full backs. With the opposition stretched, there would be more room for the likes of Eriksen, Holtby, Dembele and Paulinho to create something through the middle for Soldado/Defoe.

Soldado should not take the blame for the lack of goals. The Spaniard has seen very little of the ball and has been left isolated up front. If the wingers do actually complete a rare cross, Soldado tends to be the sole white shirt in the box waiting to receive; against and organised defence he is never going to win the ball. Soldado has been making the runs in behind the defence on several occasions so far this season, the problem is two fold: the first being that the midfielders have been unable to find him on a regular basis, the second being play from midfield has been too slow leading to him becoming quickly outnumbered.

Last season Bale didn’t just terrorise defenders all over the country by walking past them, he injected a direct threat into our side they we seem to be lacking this season, despite the pace AVB has at his disposal. I dare not suggest that patience in football is a bad thing, however there must be an element of urgency in order to catch a defence of guard.Tottenham have enough creativity in the side to cause havoc for defenders and enough goal scores to finish teams off. Despite the problems spurs fans should not be too worried, this season can be seen as some what of a transitional season with the number of new signings and the tactical changes AVB has made this season, these things just take a bit of time.

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