In this blog, Stevie @eyetestfpl be assessing the performance of Spurs under Nuno over the pre-season and rate the Spurs FPL assets to consider for GW1.
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Spurs Lineup & Playing Style
During pre-season, Nuno Espirito Santo generally lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Alli as the floating no 10 behind Son Heung-Min upfront.
Nuno might consider the move to Spurs from Wolves as a step-up in terms of overall quality and prestige and the switch from a more conservative 343 setup to a more attacking 4231 highlights this sentiment.
During their build-up, Nuno attempts to spread the play as wide as possible by making passes to the full-backs, Doherty or Reguilon. This widening of the play allowed more space for the inside forwards to operate down the center.
This could be the defining sign of Nuno’s game plan. Once the center-back, Carter-Vickers, got the ball into the right flank, both Moura and Bergwijn moved inside to become sort of inside forwards.
As the inside forward, Moura showed creativity to unleash Son. Who knows Moura, a Brazilian who speaks Portuguese as well as Nuno, could also be an option for us if he holds down this inside forward role.
Similar to his time at Wolves, Nuno apparently puts lots of emphasis on hitting their opponents on the counter. At Wolves, he’s got Diogo Jota and Adama Traore at his disposal but at Spurs, arguably he might have better players more suited to this playing style with quick players like Son and Bergwijn.
Nuno’s intention to counter is visible from his defensive shape. During defensive phase, their shape often looks like a narrow 433 with three of their front men tucking in close together.
With this narrow shape, whenever Spurs got a turnover in the middle of the pitch, they could launch a quick counter using Bergwijn as the outlet. Bergwijn with his pace could be dangerous down the middle.
Once they got into the area just outside the box, Spurs players were eager to cause havoc by their sheer movement.
In order to make this game plan work effectively, Spurs first need to try to get good turnovers in the middle of the pitch, and in Moura and Bergwijn, they seem to possess players well-equipped in interception.
Under Jose Mourinho, both Moura and Bergwijn were often thrown into the pitch just for their defensive contributions.
Son Heung-Min
In the likely departure of Harry Kane to Manchester City, Son Heung-Min might be asked to play as the out-of-position striker.
Son is always an excellent option against high-line defences with the kind of pace he possesses. On top of his pace, his intelligence to make angled runs is second to none.
There are slight worries that Son might not be as effective with his back facing towards goal against low-block defences.
But his movement in and around the box was top-notch. In this instance, he made an unassuming movement into the 6-yard area while Moura pulled wide.
And suddenly, Son could be found in an extremely dangerous goalscoring position. Such deceptiveness in the movement still makes him a great asset against low-block defenses.
Son was always ready to pounce on any lapses of concentration in the opposition backline. This diagonal movement from Son was so deceptive it was almost impossible for Arsenal defenders to track.
From such movement, he was then able to create a big chance for Dele Alli who only managed to hit the post.
This is another great example of Son’s awareness to find space inside the box. As Tanganga got the ball near the byline, Son quickly monitored his surroundings and saw Elneny moving in to mark him.
So, he instinctively pulled himself in to create space for himself, eventually scoring the winning goal against Arsenal. His ability to find room to shoot even in tight spaces should dispel some concerns of his ‘ineffectiveness’ against low-blocks.
If Spurs don’t buy a new striker and Son keeps continuing upfront, he should be the perfect FPL midfield option for us as he’s well-rounded in terms of scoring goals as well as creating chances for his teammates.
In GW2, he will face the high-line defense of Wolves who are still adapting to a completely new philosophy under Bruno Lage. This somehow has the writing of another GW2 mega-point haul all over it after his 24-point haul against Southampton in the same gameweek last season.
Dele Alli
Playing in an advanced role as the floating no 10, Dele Alli now seems to be given the freedom to express himself more fully than under Jose Mourinho’s reign, often making late runs into the box and then scoring tap-ins from close range much like the Alli of 2016/17 when he managed to plunder 18 goals.
Throughout pre-season, his trademark run ghosting in from outside the far post made a huge comeback from the grave. In the match against Arsenal, he made the exact same move and after a flick-on header by Sanchez from a free-kick, almost scored from close range if not for the post.
The nutmeg on Pablo Mari was also a full display of how confidently he is playing at the moment.
However, there’s a slight concern for his place in Nuno’s midfield, especially against tougher teams.
Against Chelsea, his small lapse in concentration allowed Kovacic to find Pulisic completely unmarked. If he continues in the same pattern, who knows perhaps a traditionally defensive-minded manager like Nuno might be forced to rethink his selection. But that is a story for the future as right now Alli’s attacking prowess outweighs his defensive weaknesses.
Steven Bergwijn
Bergwijn is another player worthy of mention. After being used sparingly by Mourinho, apparently, he is able to creep back into the starting line-up.
He looks nailed as he is a useful outlet for counter-attacks, possessing the pace to quickly turn defense into attack.
He also often makes diligent track-backs when defending, a trait that would certainly be appreciated by a defensive manager like Nuno.
In a narrower shape, he’s also positioned more centrally and in this sort of area, he is able to create lots of dangerous movement either to distract opposition defenders or to provide passing options.
He’s only 0.5M cheaper than Alli and when Alli seems to be the favorite pick from Spurs at this price bracket, it’s hard to justify his selection in our FPL teams.
Lucas Moura
Out of all other attackers, Moura is the Spurs player most reserved in terms of making runs and getting into good goalscoring positions inside the box. Despite this, he is still providing lots of key passes and through balls for the likes of Son and Alli.
Similar to Bergwijn, being only 0.5M cheaper than Alli makes him a rather forgettable FPL option at the moment.
Bryan Gil is an exciting young prospect recently added from Sevilla. Although he may be transitioned slowly into the new league, the new addition should provide more competition for both Moura and Bergwijn, making it more difficult to pick either of them right now.
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Stevie Eye Test FPL
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