Tottenham and the home field obsession

C ONLY EARNED 5/21 POINTS

Before the last round, Fulham was one of two teams that had never won away from home in the Premier League this season (the other was bottom-placed Wolverhampton). Luckily for Fulham: they were "given" to play away at Tottenham! In all 6 previous away games, Fulham had only earned 1 point. But when playing away at Tottenham, Fulham scored 2 goals in the first 6 minutes, and took all 3 points when the match ended.

Tottenham và nỗi ám ảnh sân nhà- Ảnh 1. — Tottenham have often lost at home this season.

Not counting the weak Wolverhampton (who are almost certain to be relegated, with only 2 points after 12 rounds), Tottenham will be the... bottom team in the Premier League, if ranked by home performance. They have only won 1 match at Tottenham, taking 5 points from a possible maximum of 21. That is the score of a... relegated team.

It would not be worth mentioning if Tottenham were just a mediocre team. But they are one of the English representatives conquering the Champions League. In the Premier League, Tottenham's first away match this season was a convincing 2-0 win over Manchester City. Tottenham is one of the most successful teams in English football today, if only counting away results.

What's even more puzzling is that Tottenham's "habit" of losing at home isn't just this season. It's been like that for a long time. In the last 12 months, Tottenham have had just 3 wins (out of 20 games) at home.

Is that the "fault" of the new Tottenham Hotspurs stadium, inaugurated in 2019? Tottenham fans are now regretting the glorious period at the old White Hart Lane. Compared to the new, magnificent, modern stadium with a capacity of 62,000 people, White Hart Lane with only 36,000 seats is really small. But that is where Tottenham made all strong opponents falter. In the last season playing at this stadium (2016-2017), Tottenham got 53 points - from the maximum number of 57 - in the Premier League!

CREATIVITY IS A SHORTCOMING

According to commentator Danny Murphy, a former Tottenham player, the midfield and the lack of creativity of coach Thomas Frank are the main reasons. The lack of creativity from the midfield leads to the strikers having few chances, and they themselves become unconfident when they have a chance to shoot.

Murphy said: "When playing away from home, Tottenham just wait patiently for counter-attacks, or wait for opportunities from set-pieces. They find it easier, focusing better on keeping the right team size when the opponent is busy holding and developing the ball. Tottenham's nature is that they are a very difficult team to beat, so it suits the situation of having to play away. When playing at home, Tottenham have to develop the ball more, and they become difficult against opponents who play compactly. The lack of creativity of Tottenham's midfielders is immediately exposed."

Tottenham only had 2 shots on target in the last match (equal to... the number of goals scored by the visiting team Fulham). The average for the whole season is not much better (20 accurate shots, in 7 home games). In the 0-1 home loss to Chelsea not long ago, Tottenham's xG (expected goal) index was almost 0 - the lowest since the statistics company Opta introduced this remarkable index. The fact that Tottenham's strikers had to struggle with rare and difficult shots shows their low efficiency in creating opportunities. That means the midfielders lack creativity.

The issue of pressure - when Tottenham's home crowd is doubled - is also worth noting. Last weekend, Tottenham fans once again booed and jeered their team - especially the boos aimed at "poor" goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tottenham-va-noi-am-anh-san-nha-185251130210631676.htm