Could they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?

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It has been well publicised that Tottenham Hotspur are on the rise. With Jose Mourinho’s tenure at the club still in it’s infancy, Spurs players, whilst still ropey in places, have this season shown a leap in quality. Mourinho’s men have demonstrated a new-found ability.

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This new-found ability has many branches. Not only is it a secure and structural, defensive ability that has allowed Spurs to hold on to 1-0 wins, but it’s also a penetrative ability that saw them find the back of the net six times at Old Trafford. But. As the adage now infamously goes: could they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?

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The Carabao Cup quarter-finals loomed large over the North-London outfit. Spurs somewhat feeling some pressure after recently slipping from 1st to 4th in the Premier League, knew the tie could be tough. Having picked up only one point from the nine available in their last three league games, Mourinho’s men had a point to prove.

Who? Stoke City FC. Where? Staffordshire. When? 23rd December; 5:30pm.

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As someone who watches Tottenham on a regular basis, their style can become frustrating. It is especially frustrating if you’re someone who enjoys a high press, fast-pace and attacking cross-field passes, the type of football a Liverpool fan has come to love.

Under both Pochettino and Mourinho, Tottenham’s style can be exasperating. For a long time, they have had a continuous need to look for the back pass, even when in the final third. This is a regular occurrence, particularly from corners. Also exasperating is their frequent, desperate attempts to squeeze the ball past six players at once, directly to a teammate’s feet. There is often a lack of peripheral awareness with available space left wanting whilst Tottenham players are attempting to pass the ball into a ridiculously congested area.

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Whilst this passive approach was around under Mauricio Pochettino, current manager Mourinho is globally well-known for his defensive technique. Frequently laughed at for “parking the bus”, Mourinho has, in recent Spurs fixtures, bought on a sixth defender to try to ensure the victory, having a mixed level of success. With this in mind, it was hard to see how he would approach a cold, rainy night in Stoke against a team that were incredibly likely to hold a solid defensive line in order to counteract Mourinho’s techniques. How would Mourinho approach Stoke, currently sitting 7th in the Championship? Would his team, who have become synonymous with “parking the bus” and stealing counter attacking, break-away goals be able to see off Stoke FC and make it into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup?

Luckily for Tottenham fans, their team managed to kill off a Stoke team who came out fighting, particularly so in the second half. Having gone in at the break 0-1 down, Jordan Thompson managed to equalise for Stoke, reigniting their own hopes of reaching the Carabao Cup semi-finals. However, Tottenham showed their quality in both possession and finesse to ease past their opponents. Whilst defensively, some issues presented themselves.

Scoring twice in the second half and lining up a semi-final tie against fellow Londoners Brentford FC, some Tottenham players impressed, whilst others left fans wondering how they are held in such high esteem.

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Despite scoring the opener, Gareth Bale was largely ineffective. Much like all of his other appearances since arriving on loan from Real Madrid, Bale failed to leave enough of a mark on a game that on paper, would have been easy to impact upon. Although improving with time, Bale was again substituted at half-time by Mourinho in order to inject more pace into the team. It’s easy to see why currently, many Spurs fans are feeling disappointed with Bale’s return to North London.

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On the other hand, it was impressive to see Mourinho willingly start Lucas Moura, a player who is always physical, continually pressing and always working hard to make dangerous runs. Moura has an impressive vision yet seems to spend more time on the bench than on the team sheet. Despite being substituted for a more sturdy midfielder in the shape of Moussa Sissoko, Moura’s impact was felt in the first half in particular. His accurate delivery of set pieces was notable and his presence down the left-hand side left many Stoke players floundering. Despite this impact, Moura was shafted over to the right-hand side before being hauled off in order to make room for Heung-min Son who was, much like Gareth Bale, ineffectual in this quarter final tie.

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Whilst twenty-four-year-old Dele Alli has come under yet more scrutiny from manager Mourinho, his reintroduction to the team actually added more excitement and threat going forward to the Spurs team who usually rely on Kane and Son. Alli appeared to be one of few Spurs players who was actually willing to make zipping runs into the box. His attacking counterparts Gareth Bale and Harry Kane both seemed reluctant to get into the eighteen-yard box, both wishing to shoot from distance only. Bale’s headed goal seemed a surprise to both him and Harry Winks who’s assist was aimed at the darting run of Matt Doherty.

Dele Alli made more of an impact on the game and was prominent in areas others simply were not. Although Alli has in the past, not worked as hard as he could have done, this attitude was not present against Stoke with the Englishman having some chances. Despite this, he has drawn criticism from Mourinho for giving the ball away before Stoke scored their equaliser. This seems largely unfair as although failing to connect with the ball properly on a couple of occasions, the out-of-favour midfielder seemed to be making quick-thinking movements, drawing the ball towards him, turning defenders and adding a much-needed forward direction to Tottenham’s game.

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Someone who did fail to impress however, was Spurs centre back Davinson Sanchez. His decision making in crucial moments was poor, and he was regularly left in hot water. It is hard to see how Mourinho can publicly scrutinise Alli for Stoke’s equaliser, when Sanchez was so far out of position that Matt Doherty was left scrambling trying to cover both Sanchez’s centre back position and his own right back position. Although not a patch on the wonder that was the Vertonghen-Alderweireld pairing that Spurs were blessed with, usually Sanchez is sturdy and reliable. Up until now, he’s seemed a fair replacement for Jan Vertonghen who left Spurs for Benfica at the end of last season. However, if the Colombian remains as out of sorts as he was verses Stoke, it’s easy to see why Mourinho would favour a Dier-Alderweireld at centre back pairing going forward.

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Bringing some much needed grit and physicality to the Tottenham side, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has settled well under Mourinho. Although many doubted him when he joined in the summer from Southampton, he proved yet again against Stoke, that Mourinho’s hypothesis was correct; he would steady the team and go someway to adding the missing element: intensity. It is obvious that Højbjerg’s intensity motivates others, and whilst having a shaky start in a Tottenham shirt, struggling to keep emotions in check, he has reiterated his managers’ faith, showing complete control in the middle. Whilst under pressure, he remains a beacon of strength and ensures that those around him remain calm under pressure. In turn, this allows more creativity from his teammates. He is composed and his defensive cover is guaranteed.

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This ability of Højbjerg’s allowed teammate Harry Winks to shine and put his talent on display at the Bet 365 Stadium. Winks who has struggled to make the starting XI in recent games played an absolute blinder, earning himself Carabao Man of the Match.

Not only did Winks’ vision and delivery assist the first goal, he was persistent in looking for forward moves that were penetrative and exciting. As someone who’s future has been questioned in recent months, it was clear that Winks came on with a point to prove. He wanted to show Mourinho why he deserves a place in the Tottenham squad; and that he did. Throughout the game Winks was largely in control, running the midfield, dictating play and showing a creativity that has long been lacking. In conjunction with his more defensive counterpart Højbjerg, Winks showed why he is, and should continue to be considered as, an integral part of the Tottenham Hotspur squad.

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Now whilst Tottenham did do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke, there is still plenty to be improved upon. Mourinho has used his vision to add depth to the squad, particularly noticeable when you consider Højbjerg’s influence on this team. Despite this, many players to be reconsidered. Whilst Mourinho’s criticism of Alli’s performance against Stoke is unfair, his regular benching of Winks and Moura could be considered unjust also. If you look at who has been replacing those two recently, you find Ndombele and Bergwijn. Do they deserve to feature as regulars instead? Although neither featured last night, neither have had an impact on a game in the way Moura and Winks did against Stoke either. Both Moura and Winks ensure they set the tone from the very start and were hard to ignore. This is something their counterparts have previously failed to do. Mourinho, you have some Christmas thinking to do.

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