da gbg bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da leao： Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur this week in one of the standout fixtures in the Premier League tonight.
On the chalkboard
Jose Mourinho will take his Spurs team to Old Trafford looking to get one over on his former employers, with whom he won the Europa League and the League Cup.
It is also a game that Spurs need to win. They are currently fifth in the table and manager Mourinho has emphasised the importance of keeping pace with Chelsea, who are fourth.
It is instructive, then, to take a look at United’s weaknesses and see where Spurs could get some joy at Old Trafford.
At a base level, United have been struggling this season. They have won just four games and have lost four while drawing six, including a 3-3 stalemate with Sheffield United and a 2-2 draw with Norwich City. They have scored 21 goals and conceded 17, though the latter number is actually lower than Spurs, who have let in 21 but scored 24.
Their struggles, per WhoScored, have mainly come through the middle. Indeed, 67% of the shots United face have come from the centre of the pitch, with 20% from the left and 13% from the right.
In terms of shot zones, only 8% have come from inside the six-yard box but 49% have come from inside the area, suggesting that there is a way to breach this defence and work a close-range shooting opportunity. Amazingly, that number actually increases to 54% when only home games – such as Wednesday’s fixture – are taken into account.
United are also pretty switched on when it comes to defending counter-attacks, conceding just once on the break, but they have let in five goals from set-pieces and 11 from open play; Spurs will likely have to break them down to score instead of relying on dead ball situations.
Alli is key
Dele Alli could be key to the way Spurs set up against United.
He has been in excellent form since the appointment of Mourinho and has scored three goals in his last three games in all competitions.
He is likely to be deployed in the No.10 role again and given the licence to move in behind Harry Kane while linking up with him.
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Knowing that United struggle to stop shots from the centre of the pitch, Spurs have to move the ball to Alli as quickly as possible, however that may come about.
Indeed, his goals against Bournemouth both came from raking balls forward from Toby Alderweireld, while he is also capable of finding a pocket of space and cracking off a shot in a tight area.
The stats suggest that he could be the decisive element on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Spurs fans have been left buzzing by some official contract news.