Tottenham 5-0 Burnley | Talking Points | OneFootball

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90 Minutes At A Time

·10 December 2019

Tottenham 5-0 Burnley | Talking Points

Article image:Tottenham 5-0 Burnley | Talking Points

Burnley saw a third consecutive loss on the weekend, as Tottenham were rampant victors in a 5-0 thrashing.

Tottenham rose to fifth in the league after victory in front of their own fans, making it three league wins out of four for new manager Jose Mourinho. Burnley made the trip to North London on the back of a 4-1 defeat at home to Manchester City, a result which did little to inspire the Clarets to an improved performance here.


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The Lilywhites flew out of the box, putting a shaky Burnley defence under instant pressure. Other than the results and some personnel changes on the pitch, Jose Mourinho’s most noticeable change has seen the club become much more direct; opting to avoid playing out from the back, the team now looks for direct passes upfield.

The first goal came from some individual brilliance from skipper Harry Kane, which set the tone for the rest of the match. Tottenham soon made it two in just under ten minutes after some direct play from the Son Heung-min forced a low save by Nick Pope which Lucas Moura eventually tapped home after a scramble in the penalty area.

Toby Alderweireld caused the Burnley defence trouble throughout and a constant barrage of diagonal passes saw the likes of Serge Aurier, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura find space in the opposing third. The biggest advantage of this direct style is the territory the side gains and the eventual pressure which comes after. Even if the pass was unsuccessful, Tottenham were able to create mistakes high up the pitch from pressure on the ball, something they struggled to do against Manchester United in the week.

Dele Alli squandered a glorious chance as he was indecisive when put through on goal, with James Tarkowski making a miraculous goal-saving challenge, though Paolo Maldini would not agree. Burnley had their own chances in the first half, a Matthew Lowton looping header rattled the crossbar, with Jay Rodriguez missing a sitter with a header of his own.

However, Tottenham did eventually make it 3-0 after some brilliance from Son Heung-min. Scoring one of the best goals this season, he picked the ball up on the edge of his own area, running eighty yards in twelve seconds, with six defenders in front of him, ripping through the team quicker than a dodgy lasagna.

Though Burnley looked more positive in the second half, not much changed. The Clarets produced an array of errors during the game, but nothing more unforgivable than Tottenham’s fourth of the game. After more pressure from the home side, Tottenham again forced the mistake, which eventually saw Harry Kane on the edge on the Burnley area, who was allowed to cut inside onto his stronger right foot and riffle the ball home for his second.

Moussa Sissoko later capped off the scoring, making it two in his last two home games. Similar to his chance in the first half, a driving run from midfield and a one-two with Harry Kane, the Frenchman toe pegged the ball past Nick Pope. Have Tottenham finally unearthed the scoring potential from Moussa Sissoko?

Harry Kane full package

He may continue to be on the scoresheet most weeks, but Harry Kane has been far from his exceptional self this season. Seemingly wanting to get involved in every aspect of the game, he was frustrated under Pochettino and the lack of service and his desire to come deep looking for the ball, saw him tire in most games. However, Jose Mourinho has looked to utilise this desire.

A formation set up with three men behind the frontman, who all have the mindset to get in behind a defence and play off the striker. Kane is now allowed to come deep and control the game, whose range of passing is up there with the best. An all-round performance from the England captain on the weekend, who walked away with two goals and one assist, the Burnley defence didn’t know whether to stick or follow and Jose will be hoping he can only improve and keep scoring goals.

Jose Mourinho and his direct style

The special one was criticised at Manchester United for his defensive approach, a stigma which has followed him to Tottenham Hotspur. Rumoured to have brought a new team bus on arrival, many experts anticipated the manager to sort out the club’s defensive problems.

However, it has been anything but. Tottenham have scored sixteen goals in his first five games and have kept only one clean sheet. Mourinho has implemented a more direct approach for the side who caused Burnley problems throughout. Territory may not be a term widely used in football, but something Tottenham’s direct approach achieved. Even if Burnley won the first ball, Tottenham pressed the second and third in the opposing half, creating mistakes and eventual goals and although this may not be the historical Tottenham style, it has been very successful so far.

Dwight McNeil England hopeful

It’s not often your side lose 5-0 and you can walk away with some positives but Dwight McNeil was a bright spark throughout the match and made Serge Aurier’s day a hard one, to say the least. Not only was his direct play a nuisance, but his crossing ability is one of the best I’ve seen this season. Creating chances till the very end, had the Englishman been playing on the opposite team, he may have walked away with a handful of assists. Certainly a different option for Southgate next summer, but one who could very easily make the squad.

You cannot defend that defence

Burnley have lost three on the bounce now, conceding eleven goals in the process. A usually reliable aspect of Sean Dyche’s team, they’ve looked out of sorts in recent weeks. Shell-shocked after Tottenham’s quick start, they could not recover. Ben Mee, someone you could dub Mr Reliable, has been below average in spurts this season and his range of passing caused problems all day. Overall it was a poor defensive effort, Son Heung-Min’s goal in particular. The team as a whole was at fault, but the fact that not a single player in the team was able to stop or keep up with the South Korean over eighty yards is concerning.

However, it’s the midfield which seems to be the biggest issue. Offering little protection or even options when in possession, the defence cannot handle the pressure. It’s an ageing Burnley team, with the midfield no exception. The box to box style can no longer work and you consistently see the defence isolated. Some fresh legs are needed for the Clarets.

Eric “no longer ill” Dier

It’s no secret Eric Dier has been far from his best since last season. Almost immobile at times as the game seems to pass him by. He struggles to find the range of passing we’ve seen in the past; however, Jose Mourinho was a fan of the English midfielder during his time at Manchester United and it seemed pretty obvious the special one would give him a chance, a chance which left most Tottenham fans wincing.

Though Jose Mourinho has not been at the club long, the midfielder still looked out of sorts when called upon, until the arrival of Burnley. Offering some much-needed protection to a questionable defence this season, he was able to neutralise the majority of Burnley’s direct approach with his own aerial threat. Strong and aggressive in his tackles, he completed the job asked by his manager, though his passing was still sloppy at times. Could this be the start of the resurgence of Eric Dier?

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