Premier League tactics: Lucas Moura key to Jose Mourinho’s first Tottenham win

Lucas Moura was the catalyst for Jose Mourinho’s first win as Tottenham Hotspur manager. We take a look at how the new Spurs boss got his tactics right.

Jose Mourinho’s impact as Tottenham Hotspur manager was instant after Spurs won 3-2 away to West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday. Mourinho made a difference by restoring the swagger to misfiring talents like Dele Alli and giving Eric Dier another chance.

Yet as much as Mourinho shook things up, his first game since replacing Mauricio Pochettino being a successful one owed a greater debt to Lucas Moura’s performance.

The Brazilian had started just one of Spurs’ five previous games in England’s top flight before Mourinho took over. But his pace, energy and intelligent movement off the ball proved the perfect attributes, not only for putting Mourinho’s ideas into practice, but also for restoring balance to the Tottenham lineup.

Moura started on the right side of an advanced trio in support of lone striker Harry Kane. This group, also including Heung-Min Son on the left and Dele Alli as a No. 10, effortlessly and seamlessly rotated positions and changed shape.

Moura’s varied and well-timed runs were the key to Tottenham’s shape-shifting front four. It started early when the former Paris Saint-Germain wide forward darted inside.

The run meant Moura took Hammers’ left back Aaron Cresswell inside with him. He also drew the attention of central defender Angelo Ogbonna.

Distracting Ogbonna gave Harry Kane room to dart between both center-backs. It also meant West Ham couldn’t get a defender out to Alli, who had the freedom of the final third to slide in Kane.

The striker’s smart finish was chalked off because of the offside flag, but the point had been made. West Ham’s defensive structure was going to be stretched to breaking point by Moura’s running.

Moura was also tucked infield for Tottenham’s opening goal. His position again drew the attention of both Cresswell and Ogbonna, leaving Son one-on-one against Diop.

Son’s pace was too much and Alli’s inch-perfect pass put him in behind to score.

Both of Tottenham’s wide forwards were granted the room to break inside because Kane had dropped off and vacated the middle. It was a perfect illustration of the effectiveness of Spurs’ rotations up top, a system tailor-made to getting the best out of Moura.

Considering the setup was geared to his strengths, it was only fitting Moura etched his own name onto the scoresheet when he doubled Tottenham’s lead two minutes before half-time.

The move began with a pair of cute flicks from Son and Alli, who had both pulled onto the left flank. Further ahead, Moura was once again gliding inside from the right, however this time he lulled Cresswell into committing too far to the middle.

At the right moment, when Alli had released Son to cross, Moura moved wide and was ideally positioned to tap in at the back post.

Kane’s contribution couldn’t be overlooked after he had begun peeling off toward the right. His lean toward the outside caused Cresswell to take his eye off Moura at the crucial moment.

Of the three goals his new team scored, this one should have brought the biggest smile to Mourinho’s face. The 56-year-old has always made room for goal-scoring wingers in his best teams.

Arjen Robben and Damien Duff occupied the roles for his first Chelsea team, before Eden Hazard, Willian and Andre Schurrle took the reins for Mourinho’s second iteration of the Blues.

Goran Pandev was the pacy forward when Mourinho won the treble with Inter in 2010. Both Chelsea and Inter were perfect counter-attacking machines, strong and compact enough to absorb pressure, while quick and efficient enough to make key breaks count.

Bringing Dier back into the fold as the midfield anchor helped shore up the secure base Tottenham had been lacking during the dog days of the Pochettino regime. But wingers like Moura are the oil in the engine that powers Mourinho’s squads, and the South American offered a tantalizing glimpse of how dangerous he can be on the counter for his new boss.

The moment came when Spurs rebuffed a West Ham free-kick and the ball was played out of the box to Moura. He broke swiftly and played in Son, before continuing his run on the outside.

Moura’s pace easily took him clear of the few players the Hammers had held back. He was alone with time and space when Son returned the favor, only for Moura to drag his shot well wide.

The finish was ugly, but the speed and ease of the Moura-led counter would have let Mourinho know how important he will be to the Spurs overhaul moving forward.

Said importance was underlined by Moura’s impressive overall numbers:

https://twitter.com/StatmanDave/status/1198247818114293762

His ability to make the difference for Spurs was best summed up by his heroics in last season’s run to the Champions League final. Even so, while Moura’s hat-trick to beat Ajax in the semifinals will live long in the memories of Tottenham fans, Pochettino appeared to have given up on the 27-year-old.

Mourinho has wasted no time taking a different tact and bringing one of Spurs’ most important players back into the lineup. Moura will be the key to keeping defenders off Alli and creating more spaces for Kane to exploit.

It’s a blueprint for long-term success on Mourinho’s watch.