Without the figures for : 1. his peer group (attackers etc) 2. the entire outfield squad you are potentially committing statistical 'deceit by omission' .
If Richarlison can get scoring in PL games then Conte has three starting XI combos he can rotate (I would like Kane to have a final 30 mins run out for a few games akin to Son yesterday) .
There's a certain symmetry about how, the last two times we played Leicester, we go 3-2 up because we catch them dithering in midfield Last season it was Tielemans dithering that saw us win the ball and play it to Bergwijn, yesterday it was Bentancur picking Ndidi's pocket when he was dithering before running on to score
Oh, right, passmap... please log in to view this image The interesting thing there is Perisic routinely being found when cutting inside while Deki hugs the wing, which is ideal for how our right flanks should be set up as that plays into Deki's strengths...and, of course, gives another outing to the "Son and Perisic can't play together" brigade who will point to Perisic cutting inside which, on the left, would mean Son has to stay out wide - which also ignores that Sess is also pulling inside while Richarlison stays out wide, making it obvious this was our tactical plan What really stands out is the combinations are better formed than they have been in recent weeks, with lots of triangles around the pitch and not just between the CBs and the pivot...although it has to be said it's not entirely clear what some of those combinations are due to the visual noise in the centre The biggest criticism, though, is the lack of traffic from Harry Kane to either Deki or Richarlison, with his main outlet being playing it back to Bentancur. Obviously this does need to be qualified by stating that our passmap for the last 30 minutes probably doesn't resemble that of the first 60, as by then Sonny, Emerson and Romero had replaced Richarlison, Deki and Sanchez so our right flank and the passing up top would likely look completely different, as the xG jumps show please log in to view this image Above all else, the main takeaway is this does hole the theory that Conte is inflexible below the waterline, partly due to the switches in personnel in the starting lineup and switching Perisic to RWB, but also the tactical switch of having the WBs cutting inside to create space instead of our usual setup where they were providing width for Son and Deki to nip inside As for Leicester, well, there's one thing that really stands out from their map... please log in to view this image
Surely our passmap is messed up from Sess and Perisic swapping sides in the first half and staying that way until the subs?
And our formation changed when Son and then Bissouma were introduced. No idea what Leicester ended up playing either, but it certainly wasn't working. Their passmap explains why Castagne had so much trouble at the back, though. Basically playing that whole side on his own with nobody in front or behind him.
On the broader tactical flexibility point, it was interesting that before the game Conte was asked about 352 and then ended up using it during the game. He had said that he sees 343 as better for us, given our depth in the front 3 positions, but it’s clear that 352 has a place in how we manage games and hopefully we see it in more situations now, as it does help us control a midfield better. Anchoring a midfield as a 6 is also a more comfortable role than playing in a midfield 2 for someone like Bissouma for example, who Conte has said is still learning the role of a CM in the 343. On the WBs, I think a lot of the variance in play is down to personnel. When we had Doherty and Kulu together on the right for a few games last season for example, it was really clear that they suited each other - Doherty likes to come inside in the final 3rd but will also go to the line, and Kulu can and will go either way from his marker, so it’s a good combo to eventually exploit space. Emerson lacks the final 3rd ability and game sense to dovetail in quite the same way. On the left it’s harder to assess, Sonny has been so out of form that it’s hard to really make an accurate judgement on how he and Perisic work together. For me, I think Perisic works great when we think we’ll dominate a game because his ability to get that yard and make a delivery is so good, but Sess has a bit more athleticism about him for when we’re under more pressure, though he hasn’t had the best start to the season.
This is why it's a good idea to post these within 36 hours of the match, as I might remember things like that... That's the flaw with passmaps: they only cover the starting xi, so if a player comes on in the 60th minute and scores a hat trick, or even a formation shift, the map doesn't acknowledge their existence - but can make the map of starting players look weird
352 is definitely something I'd like to see a bit more of going forward. Kulu's ability to play RWB makes it that bit more appealing too, because in general he'd be far too good to drop from the XI seeing as a forward would need to make way but playing as a RWB - and an attacking one at that - I don't think it'll overly affect his attacking game, if at all seeing as both WBs could be given more forward freedom knowing there's 3 CBs and likely 2 of the 3 CMs sitting deep to cover. I'd like to see it given a go away at Arsenal, they're very much a possession based side and looking to nullify their midfield control could be key to any potential points coming our way - plus, if any of them decide to leave a boot in on Partey that'll also be a bonus. In terms of WBs - and I'm a bit of broken record on this part - the only one I have outright faith in Perisic, he's perfected the LWB role over a few seasons now and already has 4 assists to his name this season in all comps, I already consider him one of the upper tier FBs/ WBs in the league as well as Europe. Emerson is fine defensively but hinders us offensively, I think he'd make a brilliant defensive RB in a back four but the RWB role just isn't for him, that said in certain games against strong opposition he could be more than useful if we're to be on the back foot. Doherty had a great purple patch but having seen him play for two seasons I'm too sceptical that the purple patch was just possibly down to fortunate timing with regards to opposition faced in that spell. Sessegnon for me is our worst WB overall and it's tough saying that about someone I truly like as a person and professional, I've said it already but I think my patience is done with him, I'm getting similar feels towards him as I did with Winks four or so years back (sorry all in advance ), the lad just does absolutely nothing and it needs to come to a point where this perceived potential of his just isn't going to aarive here at Spurs, if at all. Then there's Spence, I really wish Conte would give him a go on that right flank, considering we were looking at players such as James and Traore presumably purely for their speed, Spence has a level of pace that'll cause opposition FBs nightmares and the fact he's experienced as a RWB is also a bonus, I haven't been impressed with Conte's comments about him though and I fear we're hardly going to see him play this season unless we get a couple injuries to those ahead of him - and it seems there's a few!
It's something that has confused me about Leicester for some time. They have a host of talented young midfielders who all prefer to either play centrally or drift infield when in possession, and Rodgers seems to always play them all at the same time. Their formation on the beeb before the game tells the whole story: That is very difficult to look at and describe as a 4-1-4-1 without at least an Ancellotti eyebrow. It's all well and good claiming that Maddison and Barnes are wingers, but they never seem to play like that. So you end up with a cluster of 4 rather central AMs behind the striker and zero cover on the flanks. It's also telling that the way they are predicted to line up here doesn't correspond remotely with the positions they took up on average in the passmap shown above. I.e. no one really knows where they're meant to be playing as their truer formation is 4-1-1-1-1-1-1 so it's anyone's guess. Weird squad balance, them.
One of our best performances under Conte and one we were extremely unlucky not to win was the draw at Anfield last season. It was one of Conte's first games in charge and injuries forced his hand to play 352, but to go to Anfield and dominate with a midfield of Winks, Alli and Ndombele is really something and shows that the tactic definitely has a time and place.
The odd thing is that I think that they only need to make one change to balance it. Pair someone with Ndidi in a 4-2-3-1 and it would be fine. Maybe Amartey, Soumare or Praet from their bench or even Tielemans against weaker sides. Looking at Leicester's squad you have to wonder why they've started so badly: https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/leicester-city/startseite/verein/1003/saison_id/2022 Plenty of depth throughout, even where they've got injuries. You can argue that they've had a lot of tough fixtures, I suppose. Gone to The Emptyrates, Stamford Bridge, The Amex and our place already. Also played Utd at home and there wasn't much in a lot of those games. Rodgers will probably get the next two games to sort it out and they're must wins. Home to Forest and away to Bournemouth. 6 points and he's saved his job, for now. Anything less and he's for the vultures.
I think the way he sets up his midfield has killed them defensively. They are still creating plenty of chances, as would anyone with that array of talent. But he has recruited players - the four I highlighted above in particular - whose skill sets are too close to one another. I mean, Barnes, Dewsbury-Hall and Maddison even look like alike . The end result is a bit of a confused mess and the FBs having to do far too much work as they lack any real width in the final third and the players who play there don't much fancy tracking back in defensive phases. It's no coincidence that Justin won the penalty and Castagne got the assist for their second - they were the main attacking outlet on the flanks. And it is also no coincidence that they were both nowhere to be seen for at least 3 of our goals (#s 3,4 and 6). The only one where they are actually in a proper line with their CBs was Son's second, our 5th. They are being asked to do far too much compared to other areas of the team. It is all a bit unbalanced at the moment. I agree - they'll pick up enough points against weaker opposition for him to cling on to his job, but better teams will exploit their obvious weaknesses. For all the talk of the game being 'relatively even', yes - it was in the first half but last I checked, a game is 90 mins in length and if you surrender all control and concede 4 goals in the second half - irrespective of the opposition - you've got a problem that cannot be answered with stats.
I've no doubt that we're playing within ourselves in the first half and trying to win games in the second. Fair play to Leicester for scoring twice in that first half, but much of their decent performance was because we allowed them to play that way. When we went at them, they fell apart.
I just watched the extended highlights and I think Soumare epitomises what you've said. He'd been on the pitch for not much more than a minute and the way Hojbjerg breezed past him as if it were Bale vs Maicon all over again to then feed Son for his hattrick was a shocker from the Leicester midfielder. Hojbjerg's had a superb start to the season, arguably our best player so far but we all know he's not fleet footed, getting skinned like that having just come on the pitch is terrible. I think they're in a fair bit of trouble, a couple years back they had a team to be quite envious about but they've hit a similar (more severe in fact) spot we did after the CL final in that we had a stale squad with many players past their best or simply not good enough. We luckily had Kane and Son to carry us during that period, Leicester don't have anyone on that level. The players don't seem to be responding well to Rodgers' tactics but I'm not too sure another manager can do significantly better without investment - which by the looks of things won't be happening any time soon. For the betting people around, they may be worth sticking a tenner or so on for the drop.
And speaking of extended highlights, the two goals we conceded are so frustrating, can't help but feel sorry for Lloris. Sanchez commits three mistakes in about 15 seconds for their first: Fails to clear the ball, showcasing his lack of footballing technique. Gets nutmegged after trying to win it back. Dives in and clips Justin for the penalty. Then the second, Sessegnon has about 2-3 seconds to watch and attack the ball as it comes down, he should be winning that header all day long, doesn't, then proceeds to stick a lame leg out to defend Castagne's cross. Admittedly, Maddison hits that ball so sweetly that on another day it either gets miss-hit or goes straight at Hugo but he should've never been in a position to be able to strike it in the first place. It's such sloppy play from both players but also highlights why neither are first choice in their roles and if they're not careful, won't be second choice by summer 2023.
