While it may well be too early to describe Monday night’s clash as a relegation six-pointer, Tottenham Hotspur simply have to secure a win against Coventry City.
That said, it will not be an easy task. Coventry have just dispatched Newcastle United 4-1 and will be full of confidence as they head to north London.
Spurs, however, have some confidence of their own. Their display throughout a 1-1 draw with Manchester United deserved a lot more.
Perhaps they would have walked away with all three points had Rodrigo Bentancur not been sent off.
Why Spurs are struggling in the final third
In recent years, Tottenham have been a team that has struggled defensively. So, at least De Zerbi has made moves to correct that.
They certainly look more organised and structured. Yet, that has come at a cost. The football we now see is about as far from Ange-ball as you can get.
Is that a good thing? Well, considering Spurs finished 17th under the Aussie, probably.
Under their new manager, they don’t play poor football. See United last weekend. De Zerbi had coached a 3 or 4-0 win. They should have been home and hosed before Bentancur had even had a chance to get himself sent off.
Yet, there lies the problem. While Spurs can create chances, they struggle to put them away. Dominic Solanke was given the captain’s armband a week ago, and to his credit, he did score a late equaliser. However, his finishing was incredibly poor.
The striker had a glorious opportunity in the first half that he somehow struck straight at Senne Lammens.
|
Spurs xG in the Premier League 26/27 |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
xG tally |
|
Brentford |
0.76 |
|
Newcastle |
1.12 |
|
Nottingham Forest |
1.48 |
|
Everton |
0.74 |
|
Aston Villa |
1.72 |
|
Man Utd |
2.03 |
What’s encouraging is that things are improving. Against Man United, they produced 2.03 xG (expected goals), which is their highest of the Premier League season to date.
In that regard, they have been lacking this term. Heading into Sunday’s fixtures, Spurs sat 14th in the league for big chances created and 19th in the division for xG. The only team with a poorer record are Monday’s opponents, Coventry.
Why Spurs must unleash their best finisher since Kane
The question heading into Monday’s game is: how can Spurs score more goals? It’s a problem that’s plagued them throughout the whole season.
Solanke does, at least, look as though he’s getting into better situations to score from now.
On the left flank, there were also some positive signs from Savio last weekend too. While the Brazilian certainly needs to improve his end product, the former Man City winger completed the most dribbles in the game (5) and had more touches (10) in the opposition box than any player.
On the opposite side, Mohammed Kudus struggled somewhat. On another day, Savio would have had an assist when he cut the ball back for Kudus, only for him to fluff his lines from inside the penalty area.
It was a display that threatened to be good. He attempted seven dribbles but only completed two. He did, however, register no key passes, and that gilt-edged chance missed was a big moment on reflection.
So, what could De Zerbi do? Well, with Savio ruled out injured for “some weeks” with an injury in the words of De Zerbi, perhaps it’s time to throw Omar Marmoush into the equation again.
Since arriving from Manchester City in the summer, the Egyptian has struggled. Like many in the squad, he is yet to score or register an assist.
However, for all of the players they acquired in the summer, he is one of the most proven, certainly in the forward line.
Tottenham were unable to get their hands on Cody Gakpo or Iliman Ndiaye but Marmoush did arrive with plenty of pedigree. After all, this is someone who has the potential to be the club’s best finisher since the great Harry Kane.
Given those who have signed since he departed, that isn’t hard, but much like Spurs’ all-time record scorer, Marmoush has also proven he can bang in the goals on a regular basis.
In 2023/24, he scored 17 goals in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt before embarking on the finest year of his career in 2024/25. During a campaign where he joined Man City midway through, he fired home 28 goals and assisted 14 goals.
In the Bundesliga, he scored 15 times in 17 outings that term. For context, he was only just behind the legendary Kane for goals per 90. The England hero bagged 0.98 per 90 minutes that season while Marmoush managed 0.93 in the German top flight.
We are yet to see that level of form at Spurs, but there’s a real player in there if you can find his best position. He has already started on the left this season to little effect. Perhaps he could play in a two with Solanke? He thrived in that sort of role when playing alongside Erling Haaland at City.
So, in their quest to score more goals, perhaps it is worth investigating something different in the final third. Playing Solanke and Marmoush together could be game-changing on Monday night. Give it a go, De Zerbi.
