Over the past month and a half, Tottenham Hotspur has gone 1-1-3 in Premier League, winning at Everton and drawing United, while generating essentially no attack in the other three matches. This performance has dropped Spurs down to ninth in the table, though still just five points behind second place. Whether or not that gap is surmountable or liable to balloon depends on one’s assessment of what this team can be.
Wednesday saw Tottenham go ahead 1-0 and 2-1 against PSG yet ultimately lose to the (other) European champions for the second time this season. The bright spots from the midweek were the most encouraging signs for the club in a while, but the end result feels right on par with the more recent ineptitudes. A visit from 15th-place Fulham should be Spurs’ best chance at an easy outing in some time, but no one is foolish enough to assume it will be.
Date: Saturday, November 29
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: USA Network (US), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)
Table: Spurs (9th, 18 pts), Fulham (15th, 14 pts)
Fulham took four points off Tottenham last year and have beaten Spurs three times over five contests the past two seasons if the 2023/24 League Cup Second Round tie is included that ended with the Cottagers winning on penalties. The sides drew 1-1 in North London last December with Brennan Johnson and Tom Cairney each scoring, while two late goals in March gave the home side the win at Craven Cottage in the reverse fixture.
Did Wednesday provide a new blueprint? Against all odds, Thomas Frank mixed it up midweek, starting a pair of strikers and moving away from the Joao Palhinha-Rodrigo Bentancur midfield two. Overall this certainly seemed to open up some attacking options, and while this formation is unlikely to be deployed on a weekly basis, hopefully it shows that there is value in moving away from the rigidity of that double pivot.
All three of Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, and even Archie Gray offer more on the ball in midfield, and while Mohammed Kudus deserves a role, Frank needs to be willing to sacrifice some ball-winning for progression and creativity. Fulham is average defensively but has conceded multiple goals frequently enough that Spurs should expect to get good looks on net — if the setup allows for it.
Can the defense bounce back? As frustrating as it can be to watch Tottenham in possession, it has to be said that the defense’s drop off is more than alarming itself. Maybe United was lucky to score twice, but Chelsea was definitely unlucky to only score once, and with nine goals conceded over the past week it is officially time to sound some panic.
The good news is this falloff can certainly be reversed. Spurs have their defenders healthy and the backline has worked for most of the season. Meanwhile, Fulham is tied for 15th in goals scored and 15th in xG, having scored zero or once in six of its past seven league matches. If there ever was a time to get right, this Saturday definitely looks like it.
What is the club’s true identity? Frank was transparent about aiming to fix the defense first, and that has been the case both in his approach and early performances, but Tottenham is down to eight in goals allowed and 16th (!!) in xGA in the league, so claiming that the defense is 1) fixed and 2) the squad’s identity is less and less realistic by the day.
Obviously, no one would claim the attack is the identity either…but could it be? After all, Spurs are still fourth in goals scored (and 17th in xG lol but just ignore that). Maybe the biggest takeaway from Wednesday was Randal Kolo Muani, who showed that maybe the different Frank’s system is simply missing a viable striker. Should he round into form and/or Dominic Solanke finally return, perhaps hope could be restored.
