According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur failed to score in their opening four Premier League matches this season, setting a new club record, and the approximately £320 million spent in the summer transfer window has come under scrutiny.

Nearly an hour after Saturday's match, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou arrived at his press conference. Postecoglou spoke about what he called a "mental block," but this time he was not referring to Everton's defensive setup in the 0-0 draw against Tottenham. Rather, he was discussing the psychological barrier facing the attacking players in front of goal.

Postecoglou stated that the team lacked confidence, and players were overthinking their finishing, with pressure from recent results making them hesitant to take decisive shots in front of goal.

Tottenham's Premier League goal drought has now extended beyond six hours, with their last league goal coming in the 43rd minute of their previous match against Everton last season. The statistics have become a trivia question. Tottenham failed to score in all four of their Premier League matches this season, a club record that starkly contrasts with the approximately £320 million invested in the summer transfer window.

Postecoglou currently has limited options, and if Tottenham still aims to finish in the upper half of the league, he may not have many players in his squad capable of performing at that level.

During a record-breaking transfer window, Tottenham recruited 3 wingers, 1 left-back, 3 centre-backs, 2 midfielders, and 1 backup goalkeeper. After Richarlison was sidelined, Solanke remained the only clear centre-forward option in the main squad.

Solanke has not scored in the league since March, and he was virtually invisible in Saturday's match against Everton, recording only 19 touches and no shots.

Tottenham's signings have relied on the flexibility of several players better suited to wing positions. Marmoush played as a left winger on Saturday, having previously played as a centre-forward against Nottingham Forest; Mathys Tel came on as a substitute for Solanke after an hour. Tel repeatedly played the ball backwards rather than towards goal, which clearly frustrated Postecoglou.

In the long term, Marmoush appears best suited to the style of play Postecoglou wants to implement. His system relies on positional fluidity, minimising fixed positions within the team. Postecoglou wants the centre-forward to drop deeper, drawing defenders' attention, allowing wingers or the number 10 to attack the resulting spaces.

In Saturday's match, this positional interchange was evident throughout. Archie Gray occasionally switched with Savinho when overlapping from the right; Robertson and Marmoush made similar exchanges on the left, and Marmoush frequently switched with Solanke. This tactic could work if executed perfectly, but in the weekend match against Everton and the previous one against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham looked more like organised chaos.

Marmoush's mobility makes him well-suited to this role. We have seen his finishing ability in the Bundesliga, and his inability to replicate those statistics at Manchester City was partly due to Haaland's presence. Solanke has been hampered by injuries over the past 18 months, but he has not returned to the consistent goalscoring form he showed at Bournemouth in the 2023-24 season.

More importantly, when Postecoglou asks Solanke to drop deeper to execute his tactical vision, Solanke is clearly not as adaptable as Marmoush. Tottenham also has other left-wing options, such as Savinho, who played on the right on Saturday, so pushing Marmoush further forward would not have an immediate impact.

This could be called the Tottenham paradox: the team has many attacking options but cannot create enough chances. The problem is not merely finishing ability, as goals can only be scored if chances are created. In their last two matches, Tottenham managed only one dangerous shot on target, when Pickford saved a Lucas Beraldo effort late in the Everton draw.

Savinho's acceleration can trouble defenders, and he beat Vitaliy Mykolenko twice early in the match. However, Savinho's crossing and final passes were poor, far from the performance expected of a player signed for £75 million. As Mykolenko gradually adapted to the confrontation, Savinho could not adjust, repeatedly hitting dead ends, and eventually faded from the game.

Matheus Fernandes' transfer fee was £10 million more than Savinho's, but he has yet to prove that investment worthwhile. He was eager to attack and reasonably entertaining in his runs, but in a one-on-one chance in the first half, he needed four touches to control the ball, squandering a golden opportunity. This is not coincidental; he needs to be more decisive, especially as Tonali, the team's most expensive new signing, also struggled in the match.

Tel's situation is also noteworthy. Postecoglou's questions about his striker's instincts are not without reason. The manager believes Tel can play as a centre-forward, solely based on his previous experience in that position, despite scoring only two goals in 15 appearances as a centre-forward last season. Tel's current mindset still feels more like that of a creator.

Another issue is that too many of Tottenham's attacking players do not see goalscoring as their responsibility. This may relate to Postecoglou's positional fluidity philosophy, but whether it is wise for Postecoglou to openly criticise a 21-year-old player on the pitch after the match remains questionable.

Postecoglou was emotional after the match and believes the team will improve long-term. Postecoglou helped Tottenham avoid relegation, so he deserves trust, but Tottenham's start to the season has not inspired much confidence. The scattered jeers from the stands at the final whistle suggest that a crisis may not be far away.

Postecoglou highlighted the team's performance in the opening 30 minutes, and he was not wrong. During that period, Tottenham moved the ball quickly and occasionally dominated the game. Postecoglou believes that if the team could maintain that performance for more than an hour, Tottenham would likely win the match. But that is irrelevant now, because Tottenham did not maintain it and did not win.

Postecoglou also stated that he had trained with the team for less than two weeks, and the players had tired legs after the World Cup. However, these conditions apply to all teams, and currently, only Fulham, Aston Villa, and Coventry are below Tottenham in the Premier League table. Tottenham will face Aston Villa in the league on Saturday after playing Liverpool in the League Cup. If they lose, the sense of crisis will deepen, and the team will have fewer excuses.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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