10 points through six league matches is nothing for the record books, but Tottenham Hotspur should feel pretty good about the 32 matches ahead. It was frustrating to drop points at Leicester then fail to score against Newcastle and Arsenal, but analytics and press conferences alike urged supporters to keep the faith and trust that the final product was coming.
The result was two emphatic wins over Brentford and Manchester United — that may be the best performances since Ange Postecoglou took over — with multiple wins in the League Cup and Europa League sprinkled in. There will be every opportunity to continue this run against a stumbling Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
Brighton and Hove Albion (t-9th, 9pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (8th, 10pts)
Date: Sunday, October 6
Time: 11:30 am ET, 4:30 pm UK
Location: American Express Stadium, Brighton
TV: USA Network (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)
After back-to-back wins to open the season, the Seagulls are without a victory in their last four league matches with three draws (including one against Arsenal) and last week’s loss to Chelsea thanks to Cole Palmer. Brighton is near the middle of the league in points, goal difference, and xGD, which is what most people expected. This winless streak will not last forever, but this may be a good time for a trip to the South Coast.
Last season was quite eventful between these two teams. The post-Christmas contest at the Amex was ugly, with the home side going up 4-0 before Spurs grabbed a couple late goals that were ultimately meaningless. In the reverse fixture, Pape Sarr equalized at 1-1 before Brennan Johnson scored a 96th-minute winner off a perfect run and cross from Heung-Min Son.
High risk
Brighton sits just behind Tottenham in terms of possession, owning the third-highest mark in the league. Fabian Hurzeler desires to control the ball and play out the back, which sounds familiar. Like Spurs, Hurzeler’s side is not immune from shooting itself in the foot with this approach though, and indeed Chelsea capitalized last weekend from high-risk defensive errors on the Brighton end of the pitch.
With Tottenham’s current form, this feels like a recipe for disaster. Postecoglou’s front line is doing a great job pressing, and I am certainly favoring the visitor’s midfield in this contest. Something has to give when these sides meet; perhaps Spurs will be content to let the home side play around with the ball and then strike quick on the counter off of forced turnovers. Call me optimistic, but with how the past few weeks have gone, I like how this match sets up.
The (not so) weak link?
Assuming the midfield trio of Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski is here to stay — and here to thrive — then arguably the weakest spot of Spurs’ best XI is the front three. Heung-Min Son is world-class but aging (and likely out again Sunday), and the other two positions have been a bit of a revolving door…until recently, that is. Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson both raised some eyebrows in regards to their transfer fees, but suddenly the plan is all coming together.
Solanke was frustratingly injured soon after signing, but he has made six starts across all competitions and scored in each of the last three of them. Johnson had five goals last season, including that Brighton winner, but already has matched that in his past five appearances. Getting contributions from these two is huge for a club without a Harry Kane-like figure. Given that the Seagulls have conceded eight goals in their past three outings, expect at least one of these two attackers to find the back of the net again on Sunday.
