Spurs: 3-5-2, Son's Role And The Need For A Creative Midfielder.
Is Conte's new system the way forward for his Tottenham side?
Saturday’s trip to Brighton saw Antonio Conte move away from his tactical stubbornness and switch from a 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2 system and to good effect. Harry Kane’s first half header was enough to earn Spurs the three points and kept them in touch with Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table. It may not have been their finest performance but Conte’s men got the job done and left fans with mixed feelings. While some supporters were frustrated at the lack of dominance, others were excited about the change of system and how it changed the team, particularly in the midfield area.
For the majority of the season, Antonio Conte has opted to line-up with two central midfielders in Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but the Italian added former Brighton man Yves Bissouma to the mix for Saturday evening’s game in an attempt to bolster the central area and provide more protection for his back three. For the first 15 minutes it seemed as though Conte had struck gold with this formation. Spurs looked sharp and organised with Brighton struggling to find a way through and create chances.
Having the extra man in the middle allowed one of Bentancur or Hojbjerg to push higher up and put more pressure on the ball when out of possession. This nearly worked perfectly when the latter almost scored a freak goal after Lewis Dunk kicked the ball into him following a goal kick. Having the cover of Bissouma also allowed one of them to player closer to the opposition’s penalty area and offer more support to the front two of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son in attack. The 3-5-2 system allowed the wing-backs of Ryan Sessegnon and Matt Doherty to roam forward more as they were the ones providing the width with Son playing more centrally and no Kulusevski or Richarlison on the field for Spurs. This almost paid dividends in the first half when a exquisite through ball from Bentancur found Doherty in behind. All the Irishman had to do was slide a simple ball across to Sessegnon who was charging in on the opposite side but his touch wasn’t good enough and the chance went begging.
From a defensive viewpoint, the lack of wide forwards meant that the full-backs would need help from one of the midfielders. With Bissouma sitting centrally in front of the three centre-halves, Hojbjerg and Bentancur were able to defend wider and help out Sessegnon and Doherty to prevent 2v1 situations on the flanks.
Heung-Min Son
The form of last season’s Golden Boot winner Heung-Min Son has being a concern for Spurs fans this season. Barring his stunning second half hat trick against Leicester City, he has failed to make his usual impact on the Premier League so far and his poor performances have left some of the Spurs faithful calling for him to be dropped. The addition of the Brazil forward Richarlison in the summer has given Antonio Conte more options in attack but the Spurs boss’s faith in the Korean superstar has been unwavering and he continues to stick by him week after week. The game at The Amex saw Son playing a slightly different role, lining up more in a more central position and closer to Harry Kane. For years, Son’s best position has been coming in off the left-wing, beating full-backs and making runs from deep but his role against Brighton was more like that of an out and out striker. It’s a position that he has played before during the days of Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho and he has found success while playing there but the 29-year-old was unable to recreate his previous triumphs and produced a display short of the standards we know he is capable of. There were signs of improvement however. It was Son whose cross/shot was turned in by Kane for the games’s only goal and he had a brilliant goal disallowed by the offside flag in the second half but otherwise he couldn’t set the game alight in the ways we are used to and he was ultimately replaced by Ivan Perisic after 80 minutes.
Spurs Need a Creative Midfielder.
It’s a statement that has been made a million times since the departure of Christian Eriksen in 2020. The lack of a ‘number ten’ has been a problem for Tottenham in recent years and their failure to replace the Dane has haunted them in many a game. While they have Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Bissouma and Skipp to play more defensive and deeper midfield roles, none of these players have same spark or creativity that it often lacking for Spurs. While playing for Denmark at Euro 2020, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg showed that he is capable of playing in a more advanced role and was a huge part of his country’s success in the tournament but he doesn't see a pass and can rarely execute them in the way a Kevin de Bruyne or, dare I say, a Martin Odegaard can.
Tottenham did a lot of business during the summer transfer window but many fans were left frustrated by their failure to add an attacking midfielder to the squad. Saturday’s win again highlighted why they need that player who create something out of nothing for the forwards and take the pressure off Kane to do everything for himself. Spurs managed just three shots on target and Kane’s goal was their only in the first half.
Over the summer, there were many rumours that the club had an interest in Leicester’s James Maddison after his fantastic 21/22 season but it is said that Daniel Levy and Director of Football Fabio Paratici decided against the move per the wishes of Antonio Conte. Another player that linked to the club was Lucas Paqueta, now of West Ham. This caused a lot of excitement among Spurs supporters due to the Brazilians versatility. Paqueta is able to play behind the front line or as part of it meaning that this signing would’ve covered more than one area of the pitch. Again, however, the club opted not to pursue a move for the 25-year-old and he was snapped up by London rivals West Ham.
In my view, both of these players would’ve been smart buys for Tottenham and certainly would’ve ticked many boxes but there must’ve been a reason that Antonio Conte wasn’t desperate to get them in. So far he has given reason of the fans to trust his judgement as the club sit third in the table after nine games having lost just once and scoring 20 goals, the third highest in the league.
Tottenham are back in Champions League action on Wednesday evening when Eintracht Frankfurt visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The final three group games will be crucial for their European fortunes this season with the side picking up four points from their opening three fixtures. Despite creating a host of chances, they could only manage a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture in Germany and the home crowd will need to be in full voice to get Spurs over the line in what promises to be a tough game against the Europa League holders. With Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Moura back in training, it remains to be seen weather Conte will stick with the 3-5-2 that won the points against Brighton or sacrifice a midfielder and revert back to the 3-4-3 that largely served him well during his time in North London. Even with either formation it is a game that they will be bitterly disappointed with not winning and a poor result could leave their Champions League hopes in the balance.