Postecoglou explains how the high press can be Tottenham’s secret weapon

Tottenham have displayed incredible intensity in their performances all season, but that finally paid off in the win over Brentford today, according to Ange Postecoglou, and it was all part of the game plan.

Pressing was vital to Spurs victory

Ange Postecoglou‘s system demands a high work rate and a high-pressing game. That was evident last season, and it reaped rewards by and large.

However, this season, that intense play has not quite yielded the results Postecoglou and the Spurs fans would have hoped.

Despite an incredible number of turnovers in play so far this term, the Lilywhites had lost their previous two games going into the fixture against Brentford. But, the high press worked with devastating effectiveness, and Postecoglou has highlighted the work of his midfielders in that approach.

He said (via Football.London): “I thought [James Maddison] was good. I thought the whole team was good.

“Everyone was really focused on making sure we dominated the game in the areas we want to dominate. We kind of knew that they’d try and play out a bit. That’s great for us because it gives us an opportunity to press real hard and I thought all the midfielders really supported the front three well there.

“They were going to press us when we had the ball and I thought Vic and the back four managed it really well and the midfielders played a key role with that. So I think everyone really contributed to a strong performance.”

Tottenham’s intensity can lead to goals

Discussing that intensity in more detail, Postecoglou praised his team for their efforts, revealing how he expected it to be a key factor in getting the win over Brentford and how he thought it could and should have led to even more goals than the three his side scored.

He added: “That’s been great all year. I think objective measures would say we are probably the best in the league and one of the best in Europe in terms of our pressurising and I thought it would be important.

“You saw Brentford, you saw how they try to play out from the ball, which is an opportunity for us to try to win it in high areas and I thought we did. We created some unbelievable opportunities from it, including the first goal and we probably could have got a couple more out of it.”

Spurs are stifling teams and the numbers prove it

Postecoglou is right to highlight how effective his team can be in keeping the ball and suffocating other teams when they don’t have the ball.

Going into the game this weekend, Tottenham’s stats showed they had forced the most high turnovers of possession in the Premier League (47) and had the highest possession percentage in the division, too (67.8%).

The Lilywhites are also dictating the game and not letting their opponents make passes. Before the Brentford game, Tottenham had allowed opponents to complete a total of 795 passes, which was a huge 301 fewer than any other side in the league.

These facts, twinned with a more clinical Spurs side, surely show that Postecoglou’s team are geared up for success and a step up to the next level this season.

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