Thread by @SpursWebSeb

Everything Tottenham did well against Aston Villa/Mura and what they still need to work on... A THREAD

Tottenham were back to much-needed winning ways this week, first against Mura in the Europa Conference League and then against Aston Villa in the Prem. I'm going to go through what I saw, what I liked, and what I still think we need to work on.

The most notable change in the past week has been Nuno's formation. He has seemingly finally binned off the 4-3-3 and replaced it with a 4-2-3-1, featuring a number 10. Against Mura, the 10 was often Dele Alli and against Villa it was Tanguy Ndombele, then later Gio Lo Celso.

I want to start by saying that for the first 20 minutes against Villa, Spurs were embarrassing. The formation change opened up more possibilities going forward but there was no movement off the ball. Players were standing still and staring at the man on the ball. Move for him!

However frustrating that was to watch, I accept the players have likely only had a week to work with Nuno on the new 4-2-3-1 system and, admittedly, it did improve vastly as the minutes went on, with every single player benefiting from the change in system.

Even though Ndombele didn't have his best game, his mere presence was an improvement for Spurs. Instead of sideways passing and lateral movement in a midfield three, Tanguy was occupying a progressive space in between the lines, offering a consistent positive passing option.

Once the ball was into his feet, the likes of Kane, Son, Moura, and even Hojbjerg could make runs, drift into space, offer give and goes, and generally ATTACK! Even when the ball didn't go into Ndombele, he could then occupy defenders and make space for others.

It's often hard to explain, but the formation just has a much better feel and flow to it for this current Tottenham squad. We must remember, as tragic as it is, that was our highest-scoring Premier League match of the season with two goals. So a step in the right direction.

The 4-2-3-1 also allowed Kane to get into the game a little more naturally, rather than dropping stupidly deep or simply being isolated up top. He linked play well, created attacking situations and even had a few chances. On another day, he gets a goal or two there.

I don't mind Kane not scoring when we play like this. Because if you make him three chances a game every single week, he will start to score goals, it's that simple. He always has and always will. This 'drought', all six games of it, is analysed wayyy too much.

Spurs have been playing poorly, Kane hasn't had many chances to speak of, he has been scoring in other competitions, and he is notoriously a slow starter in the Premier League. Remember the old August curse? I don't think there is anything to worry about with Harry.

It's also worth mentioning here that I don't buy the whole 'he doesn't want to play for Spurs anymore' line. That's just lazy pundits looking for an angle. You can still see him working hard and Kane will always be more than happy to pull on a Spurs shirt. It will click soon.

The change in formation also freed up Heung-min Son to have a free role around the front line, both coming short to collect and making runs in behind. Anyone who saw the game knows he basically ran the show. Any tactical plan that gives Son free roam is a good one in my books.

In midfield, Hojbjerg and Skipp looked far more comfortable as a two. Skipp sat back and dictating the tempo all day while PEH backed him up and was able to bring the ball forward, knowing there was cover in behind. We even saw him grab a goal as a result!

What I was really impressed with was the defence. Both the defensive balance as a four and the individual performances were fantastic. And again, I think that comes a lot down to the change in formation, with Spurs able to play football rather than defend a non-stop siege.

On the right side, we had Emerson as a more defensive right-back option, paired up with Romero who loves to push up early and win the ball. On the left, we had Dier who likes to sit back and be sensible, paired up with Reguilon who loves to push high and bomb forward.

There was a nice balance there. I thought Dier was incredible in the air and with the ball at his feet. Romero put in some incredible challenges to turnover possession. Emerson's all-around game was top-notch. Even Reggy, who wasn't at his best, overlapped to make space for Son.

I hope to see this four together a lot more in the coming months. In terms of improvements, I'm sure Emerson will only get better and Romero will learn when to dive in and when not to. He was arguably at fault for the Villa goal. I'm also confident Reguilon will regain his form.

One quick mention on Tottenham's weakness over the past year, defending aerial balls into the box from set pieces. They must have dealt with 15 long throws and a bunch of corners yesterday, without too much trouble. That was very impressive to me.

In terms of where Spurs go from here, I think they need to stick with 4-2-3-1 in the main and build from it. The midfield passing patterns still need work, we need more movement for the man on the ball and hopefully, some higher presses as the fitness improves.

Essentially, the game plan should be exactly the same as the early Poch years. Work out who is willing to graft for the team and sell the ones who aren't. Then increase the fitness of the squad to be able to run further, faster and harder than any other team in the league.

Spurs played some of their best football in a 4-2-3-1 under Poch with Wanyama and Dembele holding, Dele in number 10, Eriksen peeling off the right, Son on the left and Kane up top. Insert Skipp, Hojbjerg, Ndombele/Lo Celso, Moura/Bergwijn and let's go again!

As awful as the last month of football has been, at least we and the players get to go into the international break on a high, rather than left simmering on another woeful defeat for a week or two. The only way is upwards from here! #COYS