Playing for 90
Fansided

5 things Tottenham must do to advance against Gent

By Rucker Haringey

ENFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur speak during Tottenham Hotspur Press Conference at Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground on February 22, 2017 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur speak during Tottenham Hotspur Press Conference at Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground on February 22, 2017 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur (R) celebrates with team mate Dele Alli in front of the Spurs fans as he scores their third goal and completes his hat trick during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage on February 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur (R) celebrates with team mate Dele Alli in front of the Spurs fans as he scores their third goal and completes his hat trick during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage on February 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

4. Start strong

Pochettino claims that he knew his side were going to lose the match against Gent after just 50 seconds. Just the reverse needs to be true in this fixture.

More from Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham need to ride the positive wave of emotion from the packed Wembley crowd. Scoring the first goal would go a long way towards putting Gent under a mountain of pressure. If the visitors score first, it may create an ugly scene amongst the Spurs faithful.

The logical question is how can the home side come out and impose their will on Gent? The easiest way to achieve superiority will be to press the ball with reckless abandon from the outset. Gent are going to start the match conservatively. They’ll be happy to sit back and try to hit Spurs on the counter.

Perhaps counterintuitively, Pochettino’s bunch should stalk the Gent back line like a pack of wolves. Even more important than scoring the opening goal is planting  real doubt in the opponent’s’ minds. The best way to do that is by robbing them of any possession early in the match.

Home/Tottenham Hotspur