There are early signs of improvisation from Tottenham in their first preseason match, as they lined up with no natural center-backs. Improvisation spawned from passing and moving, more movement off the ball, and one-touch one-twos.

The back line in the first half was Jamie Donley, Oliver Skipp, Archie Gray, and Pedro Porro. I am a fan of using fullbacks and midfielders in the center-back position. Having players that can pass, dribble, and rotate in and out with the players ahead in the midfield and out on the wings is invaluable in games where you plan to have the majority of possession.

Tottenham looked more comfortable. Of course, Hearts is not a tough opponent, but last season they had trouble breaking down teams that sat back, regardless of how even the game was.

It helps having Dejan Kulusevski central because he is very creative, and that gives James Maddison an outlet central other than Heung-Min Son to combine with. He is a thinker who thinks ahead to not only the next pass but the pass after that, and because of that he can pull off those more expressive one-touch flicks in the tighter pockets of space.

The problem they had was, ‘How do we get the ball from the halfway line into the box’, because they are good at crashing the front and back post, but they moved slowly and reminded static. Kulusevski was one of the few that was passing and moving, finding space, and dragging defenders. That led to an overabundance of crossing because they had to reset to create space.

They should want to try to move the ball on the run because if they walk the ball into the box, the opponent’s defense can drop back and crowd the box. They need those quick one-touch passing combinations to play the crossing player through to find the player crashing the front or back post.

Tottenham should continue to allow every player to get forward. Djed Spence is the last man; he plays a one-two, carries, and within a few seconds he finds himself near the front line. The players seemed more trained to notice when a player wanted to get forward and to see when that one touch was on to allow that player to continue forward. They don’t look as surprised or unprepared when they receive the first pass.

I hope to see their center-backs get more involved in the attack and not be afraid to pass and move forward.

Match: Hearts 1-5 Tottenham, 17 July 2024