Shutout Mindset: Practical Approach Proving as Key for Tottenham
Outscoring the rivals was the approach at Spurs last year but now the emphasis is on preventing goals at the other end of the stadium.
Tuesday's 1-0 win versus Villarreal in the team's UCL opener was the fourth consecutive clean sheet they had achieved in five games to date.
In contrast, they had managed just one solitary at the same stage of last campaign, when the more forward-thinking the former boss was in control.
“We spoke a lot about 'defensive mentality' this year because we allowed a lot last year,” the club midfielder Lucas Bergvall stated.
Center-back the Dutch international commented: “I think we are a tough team to play against, definitely. Organisationally we are positioned really good and we all know what to do, so we're a hard team to beat.”
The style of Spurs against Villarreal was in sharp contrast to the attacking football played during the previous regime.
They were much more cautious, even after being handed a fourth-minute opener thanks to a disastrous mistake by their rivals goalkeeper the shot-stopper.
Improved Defence but at an Goal-Scoring Cost?
Tottenham have let in only one goal this season - in the 1-0 loss to Bournemouth.
That is a significant improvement on how they kicked off the previous campaign, when they let in five goals in their first five games.
In the domestic league they have kept three already - meaning they are just a couple short from matching their total for the whole of last season.
The more solid platform is potentially coming at a cost, however, with their sole attempt on target against their European foes the second time in their last three games they had produced very limited efforts on goal.
The manager knows this is an area that has to develop.
“We have a very good foundation to stand on in terms of our backline setup and I think it's effective and we gave little away,” he said.
“This is the European competition against a quality team. Additionally, I knew we took a stride against West Ham, in attack is the area we need to enhance.”
