Ange Postecoglou has new Tottenham problem to solve for top four push

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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou will have to solve the problem of defending set-pieces if his team want to make a push for the top four this season.

Spurs have impressed with their new style of play, with some indication that they could land Champions League football for next campaign. With the Lilywhites sitting in fifth, just two points behind Aston Villa in fourth, the race is on.

However, there have been a few stumbles along the way, with the latest coming against Everton at Goodison Park. Richarlison‘s hot streak in front of goal continued with a brace, but goals from Jack Harrison and Jarrad Branthwaite ensured the game ended in a draw.

The issue for Tottenham, in this game, has been something that has carried over throughout the season. Their defensive set-pieces have been a weakness that teams are starting to exploit to cause them problems.

The opposition have started to crowd goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, putting in-swinging crosses on top of him and making it a challenge to clear it. Both goals conceded against Everton were in this fashion, similar to that of Manchester City’s winner over Spurs in the FA Cup in January.

Tottenham’s set-piece stats

Taking a look at the stats gives a clearer picture of the problems and how they could’ve been even worse for Tottenham. Opta Analyst stats show that Spurs have the highest set-piece xGA (Expected goals against) in the Premier League, with 9.95, and the second most shots faced from set-pieces with 107 – only Manchester United have more with 109.

In terms of aerial duels, the picture doesn’t look much better for Postecoglou either. According to FBref, the north London outfit have an aerial duel win-rate of 45.2%, which registers as the third-lowest in the division.

Fortunately for Tottenham, it hasn’t bitten them quite as hard as it could have, with only six set-piece goals conceded from an xG of nearly ten. Some of that may come down to the goalkeeping of Vicario.

The Italian shot-stopper ranks first in the league when it comes to his saving metrics, with 5.5PSxG (post-shot expected goals). It means he has prevented nearly six goals through his saves alone this season, backing up his good start to life with Spurs.

That may go some way to explaining why teams have been setting up a certain way, especially from corners. By taking Vicario out of the game through crowding him, teams are having more fortune with their shots at goal through in-swinging corners.

It was something that Postecoglou was frustrated over, believing the goalkeeper may have been fouled, but there may have to be some tweaks to the setup to ensure that his team can adequately defend these chances.