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Four tactical options for a Harry Kane-less Tottenham to employ against Fulham
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17 January 2019 • 10:25am
After Tottenham's title challenge fell apart just days after it had begun, there is concern among their fans that their season is about to crumble with the news they feared most: Harry Kane has damaged his ankle ligaments. Again.
Kane has previous when it comes to returning early from injuries, but that won't provide a great deal of comfort to the supporters facing up to the prospect of games in four different competitions without their talisman.
Most fans have jumped to the conclusion that the team needs investment from Daniel Levy this month, but it is not his style to rush into a deal and, as it turns out, there might be some solutions closer to home.
Spurs have managed before without Kane, notably beating Manchester City at the start of Pep Guardiola's reign, winning at Chelsea last season and beating Arsenal last month in the Carabao Cup.
The problem this time around is that Heung-min Son is away at the Asian Cup, so Spurs will have to make do without two of their best attackers.
Here are four options for Mauricio Pochettino to go with in the coming weeks.
Switch to three at the back
Pochettino has used three-centre-back formations often during his time at Spurs and has players to make a few different systems work well. This season Spurs have lined up in a 3-4-3 (3-4-2-1) and a 3-1-4-2 (3-3-2-3) in the Premier League, with the additional centre-back allowing advanced wing-backs, which means the wide forwards can play inside the pitch. This setup might be perfect for making use of Fernando Llorente’s skillset.
The shape works best if the defenders can play a bit since fielding a centre-back rather than midfielder or forward would traditionally result in a loss of creativity to gain stability, making the side in possession a little less dangerous. However, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen are all ball-playing centre-backs able to find a teammate with a pass from deep or, if the space opens up, carry the ball into midfield meaning Spurs don’t lose numerical superiority in any part of the pitch.
The two midfielders in a 3-4-3 tend to sit slightly deeper to provide protection and keep the ball moving - as in Antonio Conte’s version of it at Chelsea - while a 3-1-4-2 allows for advanced playmakers in behind the strikers. Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli could get forward to join in attacking moves behind Fernando Llorente and Lucas Moura if the second option were taken, while the pairing in a 3-4-3 is slightly more complicated. Eriksen next to a destroyer would certainly work, but Alli, Harry Winks might not provide the steel to ensure the midfield is not battle ground easily lost.
Spurs tend to focus play through the middle of the pitch in their usual narrow 4-1-2-1-2 but in a three-centre-back system, the wing-backs would be heavily relied on to provide width, something which suits the striker available. Llorente is great at finding space to attack crosses and can either shoot with headers or look to flick on balls sent his way. More crosses might equal more chances to score.
The 3-4-3 would mean two of Moura, Alli, Eriksen and Erik Lamela start either side of Llorente, defending wide against opposition full-backs but attacking through the middle of the pitch as inside forwards. Llorente’s role in this system would be more than goal poaching - Spurs want to get the ball forward quickly from goalkeeper to attackers and his aerial ability means Hugo Lloris has a target to aim for. With runners either side, Llorente can win the first header and his teammates the second ball.
Use a 'false nine'
A fairly likely solution to the Kane problem would be to do what Chelsea have been doing in the absence of an in-form centre-forward, and what Spurs did in the win at Stamford Bridge in April last year: employ a 'false nine' up front.
The idea here is to play without a traditional striker - in this case meaning Llorente remains a Plan B from the bench.
Lamela played as the nominal striker in that game as Spurs ended their 28-year hoodoo at Chelsea and Alli ran riot by making late runs beyond the last line of defence. The false nine dropping into midfield causes central defenders a headache, as they have to decide on each occasion whether to go with that player (usually someone who is comfortable on the ball and will look to receive the ball to feet) and risk leaving a gap at the back, or leave him alone, thereby allowing the opposition to overload players in central midfield.
It is a tricky tactic to perfect, but Spurs have done it before to great success and Pochettino will be pleased to have this as an option.
Stick with the 4-4-2 diamond
Spurs' style of play has evolved this season, with Kane's role changing markedly. A slightly simplistic explanation of this change is that Kane has moved deeper, from more of a number nine to a 10. His play-making is a hugely underrated part of his game, and the switch in role has allowed him to create from deeper and given the pacier members of the team more space to run in behind opposition defences.
It may be Pochettino's preference to keep on playing with a 4-4-2 diamond for reasons of consistency. Although Llorente cannot replicate Kane's performances like for like, he is adept at holding off defenders and bringing midfielders into play, while Moura has the speed to occupy Son's role, on the shoulder of the last defender and looking for any opportunity to spring the offside trap.
Playing this way would cause the least disruption to the starting lineup and crucially, would allow key men in Eriksen and Alli to continue in the positions they have been playing. However, with Moussa Sissoko also set for a spell on the sidelines, it isn't clear that Spurs have the midfielders to play this formation.
Return to 4-2-3-1
Pochettino could opt for the tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1. This setup depends on fast transitions to open up opponents and allows for the ball to move quickly from back to front. The wide forwards can play as wingers, allowing the full-backs to underlap, or as inside-forwards encouraged to attack central space when the full-backs overlap instead. Spurs will have the vast majority of possession against Fulham on Sunday, which means Trippier and Rose will spend a lot of their time doing exactly this.
In this shape either Llorente or Moura can play as the nine and look to push the opposition centre-backs towards their own box to create space for the 10. Alli would be excellent in this role playing off either striker, able to run from deep to attack crosses if Moura is there as more of a front-post-attacking, off-the-shoulder runner, or sprinting in behind Llorente to chase flick-ons and linked passes.
Since Spurs are certain to dominate the ball against Claudio Ranieri’s side, having a player like Llorente in the box makes sense. He’s hardly been a prolific goalscorer since joining Spurs but as shown during his time at Swansea, he is fantastic at attacking crosses and being in the right place at the right time inside the box.
If Llorente can shake off some of the rust accumulated from seasons spent on the bench, he could have an enjoyable afternoon causing problems for Fulham’s ropey defence.
