Why The Spurs Defence Might be Underpriced

As a Spurs fan, I’ve grown accustomed to not counting on my team for defensive assets in FPL. But since Jose Mourinho‘s arrival, perhaps unsurprisingly I’ve started to notice that change. 

Prior to Mourinho last season, Spurs only kept one clean sheet in 12 matches. This form continued in the early stages of the Mourinho reign, with late goals conceded to West Ham and Bournemouth contributing to Spurs only getting one clean sheet in Mourinho’s first 10 matches. 

But as his tenure progressed, there were signs that he was shoring Spurs up defensively. Even against the best attacking sides in the league, Spurs were capable of defending resolutely: against Liverpool, Spurs defended well with a low block, only conceding to a very good goal by Roberto Firmino (£9.5m); when repeating the trick against Pep’s City, Spurs got the clean sheet and ran out 2-0 winners. Putting aside their off-colour day against Sheffield United, Spurs conceded just five goals from nine games at the back end of last season, racking up four clean sheets after the restart. 

This improvement in defence is particularly impressive when you consider the squad Mourinho was working with. With Victor Wanyama having lost his legs and Eric Dier (£5.0m) opting to become a central defender, Spurs were operating with Harry Winks (£5.5m) or Moussa Sissoko (£5.0m) as a defensive midfielder, which neither is suited to. Moreover, they had the mistake-prone Serge Aurier (£5.5m) playing at right-back.

The situation in the Spurs squad looks much improved. Toby Alderweireld (£5.5m) looks refocused after signing a new long-term contract, Hugo Lloris (£5.5m) has returned to top form in goal after his long injury layoff, and Eric Dier is now settled in central defence.

They’ve also made astute acquisitions in the summer transfer window to increase their defensive solidity. In defensive midfield they picked up the positionally-aware Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£5.0m) from Southampton, who had the most ball-recoveries of any player in the league last season, and – while unlikely to return significant points himself – will make them more defensively sound, improving the value of their defensive assets.

More directly relevant to FPL managers is the upgrading of Aurier to the defensively-reliable and attacking-returning FPL-favourite Matt Doherty (6.0m). After preseason training with Mourinho, there is reason to think Spurs will be defensively sound this season. 

It seems that FPL hasn’t priced in this improved defence, with several cheap assets available who will get regular game time. While lacking in attacking threat, Ben Davies (5.0m) is a nailed-on starter, playing a crucial role in Mourinho’s tactical system. Eric Dier (£5.0m) also looks set to start most games and provides a threat from set pieces. Perhaps most interestingly, at a slightly higher price reflecting his attacking threat, Matt Doherty (£6.0m) is likely to start every match and gain points at both ends of the pitch. 

Tottenham’s settled defensive unit of Lloris, Davies, Dier, Alderweireld and Doherty under the management of Mourinho looks much sturdier than we’ve been used to since Pochettino‘s team started to decline. Taken together, it seems likely that Spurs’s early season frailty last campaign and reputation for focussing more on attack than defence has led to some underpriced FPL assets.