For a man-to-man press to work well, it has to be done in a co-ordinated, aggressive manner. If any player is late to apply pressure, the opposition player has time and space on the ball, essentially giving them a man advantage.
Under Frank, Spurs’ defensive approach was more passive, often defending in a more rigid defensive block.
But as they lost to Arsenal in his first game in charge, Tudor was seen urging Micky van de Ven to step upfield. The Dutch centre-back and his team-mates were reluctant to do so at times – a potential hangover from Frank’s style of defending.
Spurs’ 5-3-2 shape lacks coverage in the wide areas with the wing-backs the only constants here.
The logic behind the 5-3-2 is that attacks through the middle of the pitch are more dangerous, so the three midfielders and two attackers are tasked with blocking this area.
When Spurs pressed from this central shape, Atletico, Fulham and Palace smartly placed players in wide and deep areas, increasing the distance Tottenham’s players had to run to apply pressure.
This gave them time on the ball but also stretched Spurs’ shape, out of possession, opening up gaps to exploit up-field.
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