LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland at White Hart Lane on September 18, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Tuesday’s contest between Tottenham and CSKA Moscow represents a chance for one team to get their Champions League campaign back on track.
Whereas CSKA rescued a draw after going down 2-0 against Bayer Leverkusen in the first round, Tottenham were unable to do the same against Monaco. Mauricio Pochettino’s team suffered a 2-1 defeat, and suddenly risked the prospect of not escaping what initially seemed an easy group.
A win in Moscow would go some way to healing that wound, but it’s far from a given. Leonid Slutsky’s side won the Russian Premier League last season after all, and has lost just one of their last seven matches in the Champions League. They know how to grind out results when they need them.
What’s more, Tottenham will be forced to go into arguably the most important match of their season so far heavily rotated. Injuries have racked up in recent weeks, including one to star striker Harry Kane. Pochettino will be grateful that the club spent as it did over the summer. He’s got a stacked bench to choose from, even if they might not all be the ideal starters on the day.
Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of questions to be asked ahead of Tottenham’s meeting Tuesday afternoon. We’ve covered who will likely start, as well as what to expect from CSKA.
Now, however, we’ll concentrate on three key areas of the pitch where the match will be won or lost.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – SEPTEMBER 26: (L-R) Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur during a training session at the CSKA arena on September 26, 2016 on the eve of the UEFA Champions League group E football match between CSKA Moscow and Tottenham in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)
Janssen’s Pace
As we covered in our CSKA preview yesterday, perhaps Tottenham’s biggest advantage in this match is found in the Russian’s sides defense.
They haven’t exactly been porous, but with the combined age of CSKA’s centre-backs being 71 they aren’t exactly spring chickens. Tottenham will in part be using Heung-min Son to test the tensile strength of CSKA’s backline, but Vincent Janssen can prove instrumental as well.
The Dutch striker has only one start alone atop Tottenham’s formation so far this season, but his experience with AZ Alkmaar hints at how devastating he can be. He’s savvy and quick enough to get on the end of quick transitions, and if he can receive regular service — more on that in the following slides — he will be incisive.
How deep CSKA sit and how willing they are to operate without possession will impact Janssen’s effectiveness in this regard. In seasons past Kane’s met and bested those types of defenses. If he gets bogged down in a densely packed midfield/defense line, it will be the striker’s greatest test yet in his short Tottenham career.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – SEPTEMBER 26: Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur during a training session at the CSKA arena on September 26, 2016 on the eve of the UEFA Champions League group E football match between CSKA Moscow and Tottenham in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)
Davies’ Composure
Pochettino was swift to bench Davies in favor of an out-of-position Jan Vertonghen following the 2-1 loss to Monaco. It would be unfair to lay the blame solely at Davies’ feet, but the left-back was far from good enough on the day and indirectly contributed to both goals Monaco scored.
Such a clear and obvious critique of a player’s performance is fairly rare for the Argentine coach, which undoubtedly made it all the harder on Davies.
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The Welshman’s started the last two matches for Tottenham and with Rose left behind in London can expect to do the same in Moscow. Pochettino won’t be the only one watching his performance closely. CSKA would rightly identify him as potentially the weakest point of Tottenham’s backline.
And so the onus will be on Davies to exceed expectations. He proved when he covered last season on occasion that he’s a capable full-back, and even perhaps superior to Rose in some ways. If he can prove that he can link up effectively with Son and also cover his area of Tottenham’s defensive third, Pochettino and the rest of the club can begin to breathe a lot easier.
MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur at the Riverside Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Eriksen’s Position
The absence here of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembélé will require a shuffling of Tottenham’s midfield.
Over the weekend, Pochettino dealt with this necessity by having Victor Wanyama sit deep while Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen worked the channels alongside him in a three man midfield.
That not only allowed Tottenham to more easily maintain possession, but it freed up space ahead of Eriksen. The Dane’s magic withers and dies when he’s crowded in on both sides by aggressively defensive backlines and midfields. His struggles in the first half against Monaco proved that point nicely.
Typically, Eriksen’s position on the left side of attack gives him that valuable space. His deeper position against Middlesbrough did the same. His range and vision are superior enough that he can thrive in virtually any area so long as he has room to breathe.
How that reality materializes against CSKA is maybe the biggest question ahead of the match. If Pochettino feels like CSKA’s backline is vulnerable, perhaps he plays Eriksen on the left and Dele Alli through the middle. That would, of course, call into question where Son plays, especially if Érik Lamela is also in the side.
Alternately, Eriksen could once again play in a deeper role, effectively playing as Tottenham’s quarterback. That’s not exactly the role he played against Middlesbrough, but it might be the best bet if Pochettino is determined to squeeze as much attacking quality into the front as possible.
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