Tottenham’s midfield diamond can end misery away vs. top six
By James Dudko
How Tottenham’s midfield diamond can end their miserable run away vs. the top six.
There was less than 20 minutes left at a rain-soaked Old Trafford when Tottenham fashioned the clear-cut chance they had been waiting for against Manchester United on Saturday. It came courtesy of a deft chip from Christian Eriksen to pick out fellow midfielder Dele Alli.
The latter had gotten goal side, but uncharacteristically sliced his effort inches wide of the post. Alli’s missed proved decisive as Anthony Martial scored the winner for United, via some throwback route one soccer, moments later.
Even so, Alli’s chance, along with United’s response to it, revealed the success of the midfield diamond Spurs used in Manchester. It’s a tactical structure manager Mauricio Pochettino can use to end his miserable run in away matches against the Premier League’s top six.
Martial’s goal meant Pochettino has now won just one of 16 matches away to the top six as Tottenham’s manager, per Goal. So it probably seems strange to use the word success about the midfield diamond that couldn’t quite give Spurs a win at Old Trafford.
Pochettino’s diamond came up just short, but it was hampered from the start by a lack of cutting edge. Not having star striker Harry Kane available due to injury meant Spurs had nobody to finish the moves their diamond helped fashion.
Heung-min Son tried to lead the line as the lone striker. But the gifted South Korean doesn’t possess the drive, perceptive movement, instincts and power Kane brings to bear.
Being without Kane forced Pochettino to adapt, something he did well thanks to the diamond in midfield. Pochettino had Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Eriksen and Alli rotate positions to form and re-form the diamond in the middle.
Choosing the diamond had several advantages. First, it let Spurs swamp United No. 10 Henrikh Mkhitaryan and cut off the supply between the lines to strikers Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford.
Second, the shape-shifting fluidity of the Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen and Alli quartet always gave Tottenham a spare man to receive a pass or run off a marker. Winning the numbers game meant Spurs bossed possession to the tune of 55.1 percent, per Sky Sports.
Tottenham were allowed to dictate an away game against a fellow title contender, because of the way their midfield hogged the ball. While they couldn’t unlock a stubborn and typically deep United defensive wall, Spurs kept many of the Reds’ key players chasing shadows.
Forward-thinking Mkhitaryan was forced into a defensive role trying to track the runs of Winks, according to Jonathan Liew of The Independent:
"So Mkhitaryan chased. He screened. He grappled. He got his foot in, and did the dirty work. And to be fair, he did an immaculate job. Tottenham’s prodigious playmaker was nothing like the influence he has been in recent weeks. It was just that £26m seems like a lot of money to pay for someone to mark Harry Winks."
It wasn’t just Mkhitaryan who was taken out of the game. Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera also struggled to get a foothold. With United’s pass-masters blanked, Rashford and Lukaku were hopelessly isolated.
Unable to break the logjam in midfield, United eventually had no choice but to launch long balls over the top. The purpose was to bypass the Tottenham midfield diamond.
United’s elementary tactical adjustment paid dividends when Lukaku nodded on a long ball from David De Gea for substitute Martial to run and tuck away. Yet it took a mistake from Dier, playing as a cross between a third center-back and a holding midfield anchorman, to let Martial in behind.
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United won a tight game destined to turn on one mistake. Dier just happened to make it and Spurs were punished.
However, this wasn’t like many of the drubbings Poch’s men have taken away to the top six. Instead, Tottenham have emerged from the game with much credit.
They’ve also found a better approach for subsequent away fixtures against the big boys.
The next time a pass-starved opponent is forced to go long, Poch will hope a usually formidable defense handles the basic threat well.
The next time Spurs’ diamond owns the ball and nullifies the opposition’s chief threats, Pochettino will hope Kane is around to put away the chances his midfield amoeba will surely create.