Spurs Premier League shot stats expose a big problem
If we want to be a successful club then we have to look at ourselves objectively and ask in what areas can we improve. As I have pointed out with the players each must be looking to improve their game with minor improvements that add up. If every player does that then have a significantly better team.
The club staff need to do the same and Mauricio Pochettino has to look at the team and decide who can do the job I want them to do better than a player I have now or will in a short space of time be better performing a role than an existing player.
There are several areas of our game that need upgrading and shooting is one of them. We lag significantly behind Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, three stalwarts of the top four in shots per game. It makes sense that if we want to join them on a regular basis then we have to create more and take more shooting opportunities, obviously the more you shoot the more opportunity you give yourself to score.
Shots Per Game
1. Manchester City 17.4
2. Chelsea 16.3
3. Arsenal 16.0
4. Liverpool 15.6
5. QPR 15
6. Tottenham Hotspur 13.5
West Ham United 13.5
8. Stoke City 13.0
9. Everton 12.9
Ten come: 10th Southampton (12.7), 11th Manchester United, Newcastle United (12.5), 13th Swansea (11.9), 14th WBA (11.8), 15th Burnley (11.6), 16th Leicester City, Crystal Palace (11.1), 18th Sunderland, Aston Villa (10.5), 20th Hull City (10.2)
If you look at a few more stats then we can clearly see a problem we have to solve to improve our chances. We take the 6th most shots in the Premier League and in the accuracy table we sit 5th. Those stats are not too bad but the next one is rather damming and points to not enough creativity.
We shoot from an average distance of 20.6 yards, which puts us 17th in the table, that is nowhere near good enough for a team pushing top four. Gareth Bale in his final game with us shot from distance 19.6 yards with an accuracy of 48%, however his replacement, Erik Lamela spent the same period in Italy taking on defenders more often to eventually shoot from just 11.4 yards, from that distance it's hardly surprising his scoring stats looked good, but that is not how we play the game, we are set up with inverted wingers to shoot from distance.
We don't have people in the box so we don't cross the ball and don't have the movement to create chances. We showed what we can do offensively against Chelsea, with the right movement we can create but compare that with the lack of movement against Sheffield United last night. That would suggest we have some players intelligent enough to think forward and create through movement and some players who lack that ability and wait until the ball is at their feet before they start to decide what to do.
This is the major difference between sides from Spain and Portugal and sides like ourselves from Northern Europe, team based play vs individual based play. We are trying to build a team as opposed to a team that relies on individual brilliance, yes there is a place for that but that player has to also be able to play to the team ethic as well.
Think of a player like Andros Townsend, everyone says how talented he is, but when he got into the Spurs side it was all me me me, he got the ball and all he ever did was shoot, passing was a reluctance, he has had to learn to pass the ball and be more creative. It's all well and good a player being individually eye catching but if he doesn't fit the team ethic style of play then he is actually detrimental to the side and a lesser player may make the whole team perform better.
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You could argue that that is the situation with Ryan Mason and Mousa Dembele, Mason who has just signed a contract until 2020, is the first choice because he fits the team ethic, he performs the role he is asked to perform, move the ball quickly forward, better than Dembele who has had a wake up call. He has now had to take on board what Pochettino wants from the role not how he thinks it should be performed and we are starting to see that happen. That urgency could even be the key to unlocking the potential Dembele still has.
Many fans say we don't play a system that suits Soldado, but we probably do play a system that suits him, we just don't have the right players playing it yet, or not enough of them. The summer will see us revamp the playing staff and fill it with players Pochettino deems can play the system better and that will not mean paying big money for flashy publicity seeking transfer stories.
If a big money player is all about individual skill then if he doesn't fit the team ethic he would be a bad buy and if he combines both then he is probably out of our financial wage league anyway. It's Paul Mitchell's job to unearth that player that has been missed by others or that other are still mulling over, while he is still cheap enough.
The club staff need to do the same and Mauricio Pochettino has to look at the team and decide who can do the job I want them to do better than a player I have now or will in a short space of time be better performing a role than an existing player.
There are several areas of our game that need upgrading and shooting is one of them. We lag significantly behind Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, three stalwarts of the top four in shots per game. It makes sense that if we want to join them on a regular basis then we have to create more and take more shooting opportunities, obviously the more you shoot the more opportunity you give yourself to score.
Shots Per Game
1. Manchester City 17.4
2. Chelsea 16.3
3. Arsenal 16.0
4. Liverpool 15.6
5. QPR 15
6. Tottenham Hotspur 13.5
West Ham United 13.5
8. Stoke City 13.0
9. Everton 12.9
Ten come: 10th Southampton (12.7), 11th Manchester United, Newcastle United (12.5), 13th Swansea (11.9), 14th WBA (11.8), 15th Burnley (11.6), 16th Leicester City, Crystal Palace (11.1), 18th Sunderland, Aston Villa (10.5), 20th Hull City (10.2)
If you look at a few more stats then we can clearly see a problem we have to solve to improve our chances. We take the 6th most shots in the Premier League and in the accuracy table we sit 5th. Those stats are not too bad but the next one is rather damming and points to not enough creativity.
We shoot from an average distance of 20.6 yards, which puts us 17th in the table, that is nowhere near good enough for a team pushing top four. Gareth Bale in his final game with us shot from distance 19.6 yards with an accuracy of 48%, however his replacement, Erik Lamela spent the same period in Italy taking on defenders more often to eventually shoot from just 11.4 yards, from that distance it's hardly surprising his scoring stats looked good, but that is not how we play the game, we are set up with inverted wingers to shoot from distance.
We don't have people in the box so we don't cross the ball and don't have the movement to create chances. We showed what we can do offensively against Chelsea, with the right movement we can create but compare that with the lack of movement against Sheffield United last night. That would suggest we have some players intelligent enough to think forward and create through movement and some players who lack that ability and wait until the ball is at their feet before they start to decide what to do.
This is the major difference between sides from Spain and Portugal and sides like ourselves from Northern Europe, team based play vs individual based play. We are trying to build a team as opposed to a team that relies on individual brilliance, yes there is a place for that but that player has to also be able to play to the team ethic as well.
Think of a player like Andros Townsend, everyone says how talented he is, but when he got into the Spurs side it was all me me me, he got the ball and all he ever did was shoot, passing was a reluctance, he has had to learn to pass the ball and be more creative. It's all well and good a player being individually eye catching but if he doesn't fit the team ethic style of play then he is actually detrimental to the side and a lesser player may make the whole team perform better.
Recent Articles
Spurs target Slimani has an agreement to leave Sporting in the summer
Moyes wants Soldado and Capoue
Adebayor has no problem with Pochettino
Eriksen & Kane responsible for 68% of Spurs points
Eriksen's stock rising
Neville feels Spurs are improving mentally
You could argue that that is the situation with Ryan Mason and Mousa Dembele, Mason who has just signed a contract until 2020, is the first choice because he fits the team ethic, he performs the role he is asked to perform, move the ball quickly forward, better than Dembele who has had a wake up call. He has now had to take on board what Pochettino wants from the role not how he thinks it should be performed and we are starting to see that happen. That urgency could even be the key to unlocking the potential Dembele still has.
Many fans say we don't play a system that suits Soldado, but we probably do play a system that suits him, we just don't have the right players playing it yet, or not enough of them. The summer will see us revamp the playing staff and fill it with players Pochettino deems can play the system better and that will not mean paying big money for flashy publicity seeking transfer stories.
If a big money player is all about individual skill then if he doesn't fit the team ethic he would be a bad buy and if he combines both then he is probably out of our financial wage league anyway. It's Paul Mitchell's job to unearth that player that has been missed by others or that other are still mulling over, while he is still cheap enough.
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