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5 lessons from Tottenham’s 5-0 win over Gillingham

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides fifth goal with Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides fifth goal with Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur scores his sides third goal from the penalty spot during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur scores his sides third goal from the penalty spot during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

5. Vincent Janssen can contribute without scoring

Much attention will be paid to Vincent Janssen’s goal against Gillingham, but I was more concerned with his other contributions. In particular, his play with his back to goal helped to unlock quite a few attacking sequences.

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The Dutch international may not have scored from open play, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t instrumental in any goals. In particular, his ability to shield defenders from the ball allowed him to lay the ball off to oncoming attackers on several occasions. That might be his best skill as a striker in the short-term.

It’s one of the things that Janssen does considerably better than Harry Kane. The Englishman is certainly a more natural finisher, but he isn’t the physical force on the ball that Janssen can be. That means he doesn’t generally provide quality layoffs that lead to scoring chances.

Against Middlesbrough this weekend, be sure to pay considerable attention to what Janssen does to create space for Spurs’ attacking midfielders. He may not get on the score sheet right away, but that isn’t the only way he can be hugely influential for the Tottenham attack.

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