Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace

Tottenham Hotspur played out a 1-0 defeat away to Crystal Palace this afternoon in the Premier League, summing up their inconsistent form in the competition.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the match:

Dr. Tottenham will see you now

It’s a real thing. We all know it’s a thing. Whenever a team is at their lowest point of the season, Tottenham can always be counted on to rock up and roll over. Crystal Palace were without a single win all season heading into the game today, but 1-0 actually flattered Spurs.

The Eagles were deserving of a 3-0 home win, with Eberechi Eze and Jean-Phillipe Mateta handing Romero and Van de Ven an early Halloween horror show. Why are Tottenham so easy to beat at times?

Tottenham’s away Premier League form

Believe it or not, Tottenham have won just three away games in the Premier League in 2024. We are at the end of October. People often look too much into statistics, but that is a worrying trend that cannot be ignored.

For whatever reason, whether it’s throwing away a 2-0 lead away to Brighton or rolling over for 90 minutes against Palace, Spurs are struggling to play away under Ange Postecoglou. With 19 away games per season, you aren’t going to achieve anything without being prolific on the road.

Micky needs to improve

Micky Van de Ven is the best defender in the league when it comes to chasing back towards his own goal. However, he needs to improve his one-v-one defending and his passing out from the back.

When Tottenham are under pressure, the defenders need to be able to win more battles than they lose, while also using the ball to shift focus into attack. This is something Van de Ven has struggled with all season and today was no different.

Postecoglou changed formation!

Postecoglou has always backed his system and formation to the very end. Tottenham were so bad today, however, that he was forced to switch to a 4-4-2 for the final 30 minutes of the game, taking off his creators-in-chiefs (Maddison and Kulusevski) in the process.

Of course, it did little to improve Spurs, but it shows just how bewildered Ange was with his players’ performances today. Only Solanke and Vicario can honestly leave the pitch knowing they put in a decent shift.

Mikey Moore a silver lining

You have to feel for the 17-year-old today. That should have been a dream debut for Mikey Moore, but it was an absolute horror show from Tottenham. The winger had no room to express himself because the experienced stars around him didn’t show up.

I’m not saying that Moore had a superb game, but he didn’t really stand a chance of settling amid such a poor team performance. Hopefully, he will continue to get some starts even when Heung-min Son returns from injury because he deserves better.

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