Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has plenty to ponder when it comes to the struggles his side faced in a recent defeat to Crystal Palace.
Spurs never quite got going at Selhurst Park on Sunday, creating few chances to pile the pressure on the home side.
In response, Palace simply grew in confidence and eventually found a winner as one-time Tottenham transfer target Eberechi Eze set up Jean-Philippe Mateta to slam home a strike from close range.
Postecoglou has plenty to think about and very little time to do it in, with the Lilywhites set to host Manchester City in the EFL Cup in midweek.
If there’s one thing the Tottenham boss does have to improve quickly, it comes in the build-up phase of the team’s play.
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Tottenham must solve key tactical problem before Man City
If there’s one thing that Postecoglou won’t do, it’s change his style from what he knows will work at some point.
However, that’s not to say that small tweaks aren’t possible and one stat from Tottenham’s defeat to Crystal Palace spells out a clear issue to deal with.
In the build-up phase, Spurs lost the ball a whopping 49 times, showing the issues that they had in deeper positions.
With those key issues in possession, the north London side were unable to keep Palace penned in and put their defence under real pressure.
It’s something that Tottenham certainly can’t afford to do against a team such as Manchester City, who are incredibly dangerous with a turnover in possession.
How that is changed is a different question though, which could lead to some switches in terms of key personnel.
Tottenham must make midfield changes against Man City
One area where the changes could occur is the midfield, with a trio of Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison failing to stamp their authority on the game.
While all three have attributes that could suit the midfield, there is a slight lack of presence in big duels within there.
That could call for Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr to be reintroduced into the side to bring some extra energy and combative ability.
The pair have been out of favour as of late, but a good performance against the current champions could help their cause.
Add to that the importance of Tottenham still being in the EFL Cup and that may elevate their position for the weeks ahead.
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