Tottenham vs Swansea game recap
Swansea traveled to London to take on Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham. Spurs having recently broken their own minor Wembley curse were tough opposition for the struggling Swans.
Pochettino started the match with a strong lineup and dominated the early exchanges with Swansea having trouble even gaining any possession. Son started the match very lively for Tottenham and got a few shots on goal only to be denied by the side netting on several occasions. Spurs were at their lively and attacking best in the early bit of the match but failed to capitalize. They would’ve liked to have gotten Harry Kane on the ball to hold it up and make more substantial play for the side moving forward.
Eric Dier’s free kick in the 21st minute was really the most decisive chance Spurs had until that point despite the fact they enjoyed several lions share’s worth of domination in possession. Dele Ali was not very impressive during any of the early exchanges and appeared to be more of a passenger than player.
Despite the fact that Tottenham dominated Swansea broke a few times and Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham looked bright, positive and aware in each. If Swansea could get him more service then the young man would be more of a threat for them. The lack of success in the Swansea midfield has been holding the team back in that regard.
The lack of quality service to the forwards at Swansea is something that was more than apparent in the first half. Spurs need to find a way to get Dele Alli to be more decisive and were often reduced to pinging balls into the box and hoping someone would win a header. Admittedly not thoroughly tested Davinson Sanchez looked to be a titan of a central defender during the first half and may grow to be a magnificent purchase for Spurs.
Swansea have an issue in the fact that the most productive players who seem to be putting in the most effort for the club are both loanees. Sanchez and Abraham seem to be the two with the most effort being put forward for the cause. Abraham even won defensive headers on corners for his team despite the fact not a single bit of decent service went in his direction in the first half.
When the teams went into the half-way mark at 0-0 it is exactly what both sides deserved.
Coming out in the second half Spurs appeared to have taken some stern words from Pochettino and immediately began attacking and peppering the Swansea goal. Swansea didn’t even possess the ball thoroughly for the first 15 minutes out of the tunnel. A couple passes happened between Sanches and Abraham but it became increasingly obvious that Swansea’s goal was to earn a defensive tie.
In the 57th minute a flurry of attacking movement culminated in Harry Kane striking the crossbar and yet Spurs remained frustrated. Fabianski if he maintains the sort of form he’s in at the moment looks like a sure starter at the World Cup.
Next: English teams struggle in Europa League play
Spurs never really looked to be as good as they should be in this match. Great for Swansea. Poor for Spurs. The Wembley curse is alive and well in the Premier League.