Tottenham had a spectacular return match in European competitions. The score was 3-0, with Brennan Johnson, Sarr, and Solanke scoring the goals. However, it's quite remarkable that goals were scored at all, considering that just seven minutes into the match, Dragu was sent off. Looking at the expected goals, Karabakh had 2.2 while Tottenham had 1.5. In terms of decisive chances, Karabakh had four, while Tottenham had two. Karabakh even had a penalty kick situation. Despite this, Karabakh really struggled to score, while Tottenham showcased excellent finishing whenever they had a chance. This match clearly highlighted the difference in levels between the two teams. However, watching today's game, it's evident that Coach Postecoglou's style of play is...

I was able to see the point we aim for once again. So, today, the match was somewhat delayed from the start due to heavy rain, which caused the Karabakh players to arrive late at the stadium. Given that it was raining heavily, the pitch became slippery, and at the beginning of the match, there was also a strong wind. This created some issues for Tottenham's defensive line. Karabakh is a team that applies pressure very aggressively, and with the wet ground and strong winds, Tottenham, who usually pushes their defensive line up, faced challenges. When the conditions came together like this, what happened was that Tottenham pushed their defensive line high, and if a mistake occurred here...

Of course, problems arise. Today, as soon as Tottenham started, Dragu was targeted, and that was exactly the kind of scene we saw. Tottenham really had a lot of attacking numbers today. On the left, we had Son Heung-min, on the right, Johnson, and in the middle, there was Beri Valentino. Gray also moved into the center. So, in the defensive line, there were only Dragu and Vander B, but they were creating a very high line beyond the halfway line. However, here, Karabakh had a prepared pressing timing. What happened was that when a pass was made from one center-back to another, the moment the pass started, the attacker was already running. This means that from the moment the pass is initiated, there is a time delay before the pass reaches Vander Abu Dragu. They utilized that time, pressing during the time the ball was in the air. So, this...

This scene shows a moment of pressure, but here, Dragovic has a bit of an issue with ball control because the ball is quite wet. As a result, he couldn't make proper contact with the ball and lost possession. This led to a red card, which is undoubtedly a justified dismissal. Similar situations also occur at the end of the first half. In this instance, Ben Davies and Van de Beek are positioned in the center-back line and near the halfway line. However, Tottenham makes a back pass, and at that moment, a Qarabağ attacker makes a run, perfectly timed. Van de Beek struggled a bit with ball control again, and he lost the ball. Fortunately, Vicar quickly rushed out and managed to avert the crisis.

As things unfolded, Tottenham found themselves in a difficult situation. After the red card, the way Tottenham responded, particularly under manager Postecoglou, reminded me of their approach during last season's match against Chelsea. Given that they received a red card, it was naturally going to be a physically demanding schedule. They had a match this weekend and another midweek. With less than 72 hours of rest, they essentially had around 60 hours before heading to the Manchester United away game. So, physically, they needed to perform well, but receiving a red card just seven minutes into the match could strain their stamina. Interestingly, after Dragun received the red card, he was replaced, and Ben Davies moved to left center-back, while Berry was substituted for Udogie.

In the first half, they played in a counter-attacking style. Looking at the ball possession in the first half, Tottenham had 63% and Qarabağ had 37%. Although they clearly received a red card after just seven minutes, Tottenham continued to play aggressively. If we look at the average positions in today's match, Tottenham's defensive line was very high; they were almost at the halfway line in the first half, even higher. However, in the second half, they dropped back a bit, settling around the halfway line. On the other hand, Qarabağ's two center-backs were far from the halfway line. Interestingly, the center-back line of Tottenham, which had one player sent off, was closer to the halfway line than that of Qarabağ. This scene reflects the philosophy of coach Postecoglou.

It's also a scene where I was sent off today, but we play the same way; it's just that one person is missing. When attacking, we push the defensive line up significantly, and Udogie moves into the center. Aarts Gray also moves into the center, and Bissouma and Sarr push forward. Ben Davies and Van der Room advance as well, raising the line frantically. However, raising the line naturally creates a lot of space. Ultimately, while the defensive line is raised, having fewer players in the front is unavoidable since one was sent off. So there are times when Tottenham pushes forward but can't apply pressure. As a result, today, Van de Beek ran around a lot to cover the spaces behind. This is somewhat similar to last season's match against Chelsea, where even after being sent off, we maintained our style of play. But now...

Scenes like this show that today, Karabakh created many decisive chances. Now, what kind of team is Karabakh? They are a team that utilizes space very well when executing counterattacks. So, when Tottenham pushes their line up and is in a situation where one player is missing, it becomes a style that Tottenham finds burdensome in terms of matchups. This is because Karabakh employs tactics similar to those of RB Leipzig or Aston Villa in the Bundesliga. Their strategy involves attacking players from the left and right flanks moving into the center. As they move into the center, four players suddenly cluster there. These four players then quickly dash to the left and right flanks, effectively widening the pitch. This makes it quite challenging to mark individual players. This style is actually similar to that of Aston Villa.

It's the same style; they rush out. But it's surprising that Tottenham didn't concede a goal today, especially considering they were missing Son Heung-min. There are many interesting scenes. If you look at the moments, Tottenham was under pressure, with Solanke pressing from the front, Brennan Johnson pressing from the right, and Son Heung-min pressing from the left. Plus, with Bissouma and Saar in the midfield, they were down a midfielder since Bery's out. However, these two players also push up and charge forward. This happens even after the red card, but as they rush in, there are only two midfielders left, creating a lot of space. In one scene with Qarabag, as the two midfielders push up, a pass goes into the space behind them. But here...

As soon as the Karabakh player grabs the ball, the wingers are moving into the center, and the forward is running. There are three players running forward, so now it's a scene where a pass can be made. Tottenham has clearly been reduced to ten players, yet they are defending at the halfway line. There are three players making a run, and they just need to choose one of those players to pass to. The space behind is completely open; the situation has created a wide-open space behind. However, in this scenario, one might wonder if it’s too reckless to push up the line when one player is missing, especially while pressing forward. When the opponent breaks through this pressure, it’s natural for the space behind to open up. So here, Tottenham needs to rely on Van der Vaart, Ben Davies, and Udogie.

Now it's about athletic ability. So when the striker runs forward, we see this scene where the Karabakh player comfortably receives the ball. There were also two players running forward. Then a pass was made into this space, but one of them was Van de Beek, and there were two strikers. At that moment, as the pass was made, there was a player from Van de Beek running forward, and there was a player sending the pass. The pass was made comfortably. However, in the end, the Karabakh strikers failed to maintain the offside line properly and ended up being offside. But this scene made me realize that Coach Postecoglou's football really relies a lot on quick players. Anyway, Tottenham did win today, but such moments show a slight issue with the players.

I was also concerned that it might put too much physical burden on the players. Anyway, if you look at this scene, Tottenham is defending at the halfway line. This is after they received a red card. After the red card, they pulled the line up at the halfway line, and when Karabakh receives the ball, players are rushing in. While this is happening, Sar is charging in, and Solanke is sneaking in from behind. As a result, the player receiving the ball in the middle is only focusing on Sar and gets pressured by Solanke. Solanke made a very good run. Ultimately, this means that as Sar actively moves up, the gap between the forward and the midfielder narrows, allowing for successful pressure. So they managed to take the ball away, and after that, a pass goes to Johnson. Johnson has been scoring a lot from his position lately, and he receives the pass and scores.

In creating such scenes, it’s not just that Solang Ki made this scene once; he continues to create similar scenes. This scene is the same, where Sar is rushing in. At this moment, Solang Ki comes down, and the space becomes narrower. In the end, although one person is missing, Sar is still defending as he rushes in. So, there’s also a scene where Solang Ki almost steals the ball. In this scene, Solang Ki goes down and steals it from the midfielder through pressure. After stealing, he passes it to Son Heung-min, who then receives the ball and makes a through pass to Solang, who is making another run. This leads to a crucial one-on-one chance. Of course, Solang missed it here; it was blocked by the goalkeeper. However, these kinds of scenes are what Tottenham created by pushing up their line. And eventually, at the end...

The scene where Solanke scored happened because the line was raised a bit. In this scene, Tottenham had one player sent off, so the line is quite high. Sar left the midfield line empty and just ran. Now, in this situation, the fact that Coach Postecoglou made a good substitution was that he brought in Kulusevski. When Sar moved up, Kulusevski naturally came into the center a bit. This substitution was good. Nevertheless, Sar boldly ran forward, which led to another player following him. As Sar continued to run, he received a good pass in the space behind. Consequently, when the opposing defense took a step back, there was space for Son Heung-min. This allowed Son Heung-min to take a shot, and this ultimately resulted in Tottenham...

Instead of retreating, they charge forward, forcing the opposing defense to back off, which creates a shooting opportunity for Son Heung-min. Here, Son Heung-min takes the shot, and as Solanke is not standing still but running in, the goalkeeper ultimately fails to properly save Son's shot, leading to Solanke's goal. These kinds of plays occur because Tottenham pushes their line forward. In the process of making it 3-0, Tottenham's decision to advance their line was indeed successful. However, while they can win by pushing the line up, it's also important to manage their stamina and the squad effectively. This way, they can win in the long run, even in other matches. For example, Arsenal, under Arteta, has been dealing with many injuries recently, including Rice.

Recently, Arsenal has been playing less aggressively, especially in the North London Derby, away against Atalanta, and away against Manchester City. In those three matches, Arsenal conceded possession, playing defensively and managing to secure points through compromise. This management aspect seems to differ between Arteta and Postecoglou. While Postecoglou maintains his philosophy even when faced with setbacks, it is true that Tottenham's physical condition is a concern. Moreover, after Son Heung-min scored the third goal, there were reports from local journalists that he indicated a desire to be substituted. It seems he may be experiencing some muscle fatigue during the match.

There were scenes of touching muscles, particularly the thigh line. So, while Son Heung-min isn't facing a serious injury, it's true that he feels some pressure regarding his physical condition. As a result, Son Heung-min needs to manage himself better, and Tottenham can't afford to be without him, so it seems they substituted him as a precaution. That said, with the A match approaching, it's a concern that one player is missing, which means the others have to run a bit more. Son Heung-min will have to do even more in that situation. Looking at all this, there are indeed worries about Son Heung-min's physical condition. After the match, coach Postecoglou made a comment about Son Heung-min.

He mentioned that he felt a bit of tightness, but he hasn't talked to the medical team yet. This ultimately happened after Son Heung-min scored his third goal; he started feeling some strain in his body. He was touching his muscles, feeling if something was wrong, so he communicated this to coach Postecoglou, saying that he felt tightness and that he should probably discuss it further. He felt that it wouldn’t be good to push himself too hard. Once Son Heung-min made that judgment, he informed the bench, and the bench also considered the upcoming matches against Manchester United, Ferencváros, and Brighton. Therefore, they decided to take him off as a precaution. So, regardless, Son Heung-min was walking off.

There were signs that he was not in a good condition when he left the field. As a result, I can't say with certainty that this is a definite injury for Son Heung-min, and that he will not be able to play in the next match. However, it is disappointing that in such a tightly packed schedule, the tactical approach of coach Postecoglou is very aggressive, pushing the lines up. When one player gets sent off, it puts a lot of physical strain on the remaining players. There seem to be some issues with squad management in this tactical approach. While coach Postecoglou achieved victory today with his strategy of pushing the lines up, I believe that, overall, it may pose significant challenges for managing the season in the long run. So, anyway, Son Heung-min's injury is confirmed.

However, it is certain that Son Heung-min also felt a slight burden regarding his physical condition.

"스스로 교체요청했다" 휴식 없이 뛴 손흥민, 몸상태에 문제 생겼나? 승리했지만 걱정되는  토트넘과 손흥민 (토트넘 vs 카라박)

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