Our Half-Term Report series continues with Tottenham Hotspur, who have endured a difficult opening five Gameweeks.
Spurs are still searching for their first Premier League win of the season, and have collected just two points so far.
They also failed to score in their opening four matches before finally finding the net twice against Aston Villa in Gameweek 5.
So, what has gone wrong for Spurs, and can any of their players still appeal to FPL managers, with the fixtures turning for the better?
- READ MORE: The FPL half-term report: Man City
- READ MORE: Brighton players, Saka, Bruno: Buy, keep or sell in Gameweek 6?
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RESULTS SO FAR
| GW | Result | Spurs’ xG | Spurs’ xGC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brentford 3-0 Spurs | 0.57 | 3.87 |
| 2 | Spurs 0-2 Newcastle | 1.12 | 0.72 |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest 0-0 Spurs | 1.06 | 0.92 |
| 4 | Spurs 0-0 Everton | 0.69 | 1.11 |
| 5 | Spurs 2-3 Aston Villa | 1.56 | 1.26 |
The opening-day defeat at Brentford was comfortably their worst display, conceding 3.87 expected goals while generating just 0.57 xG themselves.
Performances improved (slightly!) after that. Spurs actually edged the underlying numbers in their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle and the stalemate with Nottingham Forest. Their best attacking display came last time out against Aston Villa, generating 1.56 xG and finally scoring their first two league goals of the season.
However, another defeat left Spurs still searching for their first win heading into Gameweek 6.
XG/XGC RANK V OTHER TEAMS
| Total | Rank v other clubs | |
|---|---|---|
| xG | 5.00 | 18th |
| xGC | 7.78 | 11th |
The underlying numbers underline Spurs’ attacking struggles.
The north London side are actually ranked a rock-bottom 20th for open-play xG (3.11), with their eighth-best set-play xG (1.89) adding a veneer of respectability to their overall total.
Defensively, things have been less concerning – and even more so when overlooking that opening-day Brentford game, when De Zerbi sent out a bit of a patched-up side.
Over the last four Gameweeks, the Lilywhites have the league’s second-lowest xGC total (4.02). No team has allowed fewer big chances (six) in that time.
Clean sheets arrived in Gameweeks 3 and 4.
LINE-UP LESSONS
Only three Spurs players have started all five league matches. Antonín Kinský (£4.5m) and Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.9m) have played every minute, while Sandro Tonali (£5.3m) has come off twice.
The defence has otherwise been disrupted. Andrew Robertson (£4.4m) and Micky van de Ven (£5.0m) have started four times, while Pedro Porro (£5.4m) has managed only three. The latter is currently an injury concern after suffering a hamstring problem just 19 minutes into Gameweek 5.
There are also two fresh issues to monitor following the international break. Van Hecke returned early from Netherlands duty with a foot injury, while Van de Ven picked up a hand/wrist problem against Serbia. Encouragingly, neither issue is currently thought to be serious.
Further forward, Omar Marmoush (£7.0m) and Rodrigo Bentancur (£5.5m) have four starts apiece. Nobody else has managed more than three, highlighting the lack of a settled attacking line-up.
Dominic Solanke (£5.8m) has started only twice, while James Maddison (£6.3m) and Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) have yet to make the starting XI after working their way back to fitness from lengthy absences.
SET-PIECE TAKERS
| Set piece | Takers |
|---|---|
| Corners | Savinho (11), Tel (7), Fernandes (5), Robertson (4), Maddison (3), Porro (3), Kudus (3), Marmoush (2) |
| Crosses from free-kicks | Robertson (3), Maddison (2), Porro (2), Tonali (1) |
| Shots from direct free-kicks | Tel (2), Marmoush (1), Maddison (1) |
| Penalties | n/a |
The mess at Tottenham Hotspur is encapsulated by their chaotic set-piece pecking order. We’re only five Gameweeks in but nine different Spurs players have taken a corner or crossed free-kick this season, with De Zerbi still trying to find the right starting XI blend.
Savinho (£6.5m) was most heavily involved in Gameweek 5, taking a whopping eight corners.
Spurs are yet to take a penalty this season.
TOP PLAYERS FOR DEFCONS
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OTHER HALF-TERM REPORTS
Arsenal (coming soon) | Aston Villa | Bournemouth | Brentford | Brighton | Chelsea | Coventry | Crystal Palace | Everton | Fulham | Hull | Ipswich | Leeds | Liverpool | Man City | Man Utd | Newcastle | Nottm Forest | Sunderland (coming soon) | Spurs
