Tottenham Hotspur played out a draw against West Ham United on Sunday.
Spurs took the lead in the 15th minute courtesy of Wilson Odobert. Odobert was left unmarked in the middle of the box, with Mathys Tel providing the assist. But Jarrod Bowen levelled the game in the 28th minute, firing home from a tight angle. The score stayed level going into half-time.
West Ham had the better of the second half, but Ange Postecoglou’s side held out to secure a 1-1 draw.
Jack Pitt-Brooke was there for The Athletic and takes a look at the big talking points from Sunday’s game.
Did Spurs get what they needed from a game like this?
Almost every Tottenham league game since February has felt like a sideshow, with an end-of-season kickabout feel, and yet even by those standards, this one still stood out. Sandwiched between the two legs of the Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, this was never going to be a big deal.
But it still felt like Spurs drove home from the London Stadium with almost everything they wanted from the game. Yes, Postecoglou would have chosen three points over one if he could. But Spurs managed to avoid defeat. A loss here would have been their 20th in the league this season, equalling their record within a 38-game league season set in 1912-13. If they can get through the next few league games without equalling that, it would be an achievement of sorts.
On top of that, there were no fresh injuries. They lost Lucas Bergvall last week and are still waiting to hear about James Maddison’s knee injury. They cannot afford any more — even to fringe players. But everyone appeared to get through this game OK. The squad should not be any more depleted when they fly to Norway on Wednesday. That is Spurs’ focus. They just had to get through this afternoon with no scrapes, no injuries, no drama, and no defeat. And that is exactly what they did.
Was Mathys Tel trying to send a message?
No Spurs player looked more motivated to prove a point here than Mathys Tel. The 20-year-old was on the bench for Thursday’s first leg against Bodo/Glimt, with Richarlison preferred ahead of him. And Tel played as if he was trying to make his case that he should start the game in Norway.
Tottenham’s opening goal, which arrived out of nowhere, was all down to Tel’s persistence. A long ball from the back landed with Max Kilman, who should have been able to deal with it comfortably. But Tel hunted him down, pressing and pressing until he had the ball at his feet. Tel then rolled a simple square pass across the box, giving Wilson Odobert a simple finish.
Spurs did not have many more good attacking moments, but the ones they did generate were down to Tel: winning a free-kick from Jean-Clair Todibo in a good position, playing a clever forward pass through to Richarlison.
With Son Heung-min injured, there is a vacancy on the left of Spurs’ front three. Ange Postecoglou may well be tempted to start with Richarlison on Thursday. But if he wants speed from the start, Tel could be the answer.
Was this clear evidence that the backup players can’t play ‘Angeball’?
There was no surprise when Ange Postecoglou made eight changes for this game. He had made eight changes for Spurs’ last league game, the 5-1 defeat at Anfield one week ago. Everyone knows that the Europa League is the priority. And you could argue that Spurs’ progress in that competition justifies Postecoglou’s willingness to rotate and manage minutes in the league.
But a consistent issue this season is that the back-up players Postecoglou brings in are not able to deliver anything approaching ‘Angeball’. Spurs are so dependent on the passing ability of Cristian Romero, the running power of Micky van de Ven, and the non-stop engines of Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro. With this back four — Djed Spence, Ben Davies, Kevin Danso, Archie Gray — it feels like you are watching a different team. And in a very real sense, you are.
Without the ability to build up from the back like they want to, and without the technical skill of Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison in midfield, Spurs’ only option was to go long. Their goal did come this way, but it was not pretty. And it was nothing like the football Tottenham intend to play when they move the ball positively through the thirds. And yet this pattern — the manager’s tactics jarring with the players selected — has been the story of the last few months of Spurs’ league campaign.
What next for Tottenham?
Thursday, May 8: Bodo/Glimt (Away), Europa League semi-final second leg, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
(Top photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
