SpursIQ
Data-powered insights on Tottenham Hotspur — breaking down stats, tactics, and trends.
spursiq.substack.com
- Spurs have registered three of the lowest five xG across all matches in the PL this season. What a stat.
- Attacking momentum chart reflects well this Spurs performance. 0 shots, pathetic. Same problems we had against Bournemouth and Chelsea. Teams that press us well can completely dominate us. Our front 3 has no running threat behind so their defense can press our attacking players super aggressively
- North London is… void of shots from high turnovers? #COYS
- Brighton’s press has arguably been the best in the Premier League this season. Not talked about enough.
- Follow up from post from yesterday: Spurs have the 2nd most intense press in the league this season, but have been ineffective in converting that pressure into high turnovers and shots. 1 shot from 64 high turnovers. Dead last in the PL. #COYS #THFC
- Tottenham's Pressing Paradox: Spurs rank 2nd in the Premier League for Pressing Intensity (PPDA) but are 20th in Shots Created following high turnovers. 📊 This outlier status requires review. What factors cause this low output from elite pressing input? #COYS #THFC #FootballAnalytics
- @profspur.bsky.social @hal.thelastboyscout.uk I think you will find this interesting. Curious your thoughts.
- A clear tactical shift under Thomas Frank has started to emerge. Since the Everton match last week, Spurs have consistently lined up in possession as a back three, with Udogie pushing high and wide almost as a left winger. (Thread) 🔽
- This structure played directly to Spurs’ strengths, improving ball progression out of the back and giving the team much better spacing between the lines. A lot more analysis and detail can be found here: open.substack.com/pub/spursiq #COYS
- From a 1–0 collapse to a 4–0 masterclass - a rollercoaster week even by Spurs standards. My full SpursIQ review looks at what went wrong vs Chelsea, what changed vs Copenhagen, and why the difference might be more about execution than tactics. #COYS
- Article link (free)
- I heard Spurs fans wanted to see more central progression. Does this count? #COYS
- We are playing well. Especially considering how many starters are out. The stats will show us with very low xG again but there were some very nice attacking sequences. Just missing the final bit of quality in the final third.
- Spurs’ pass map against Everton this past weekend looked a lot more balanced this match overall relative to many of our previous matches this season. We were able to progress more centrally on occasions, which I believe can be attributed to: (See thread) #COYS
- - A change in team shape and structure (Kudus and Xavi both more central) - Bentancur’s improvement on the ball and with progressive passes - Van de Ven being braver with his passing through the middle - Kolo Muani providing more hold-up play capability compared to Richarlison and Tel #COYS
- Spurs put in a gritty but impressive 3–0 win away at Everton. Full MW9 review now live on SpursIQ: 🔗 spursiq.substack.com/p/premier-le... #COYS #THFC #SpursIQ
- Opta’s xPoints table had Spurs 14th after seven matches, even while sitting 3rd in the real table. Naturally, the questions came fast: “Are Spurs lucky? Is this sustainable?” I looked back at last season, plotting each team’s xPosition after seven matches vs their final place. #COYS #THFC
- While ‘moderate’ correlation overall, it is clear there are some teams where their xPosition (based on Opta's xPoints) after 7 matches last season were drastically different compared to their final position, with Spurs being the biggest outlier. Full breakdown: spursiq.substack.com/p/reading-be...
- Opta’s xPoints table says Spurs should be 14th, not 3rd after the first seven matches of the PL season. I dug into what xG and xPoints actually measure, and what they can both explain and mislead this early in the season: spursiq.substack.com/p/reading-be... #THFC #COYS
- Spurs finally broke the pre-international break curse and ended Leeds’ 1-year home streak. Not a perfect performance, but a really resilient and important away win. Here’s what stood out tactically and in the data 👇 (Thread)
- A mature and resilient away performance. We’re not perfect yet, but the structure and mentality look stronger every week. Full review with visuals, tactical breakdowns, and data here: spursiq.substack.com/p/premier-le... #THFC #COYS
- Multiple takeaways from Spurs’ big win at Leeds this weekend. full analysis here: spursiq.substack.com/p/premier-le... #COYS
- New post on Substack! Let me know your thoughts.
- Another neat round-up by @spursiq.substack.com spursiq.substack.com/p/premier-le... Bentancur detail - deepest midfielder, covering Porro -interesting. It seems like coaches really appreciate his versatility and ability to follow instructions / perform specific roles. IDK 🤷
- Much of the debate after MW6 focused on Bentancur starting with Palhinha and Xavi at LW. But the evidence tells a different story: Spurs played well first half - the collapse came after Wolves’ tactical change + ineffective subs. Full breakdown ⬇️ spursiq.substack.com/p/premier-le... #COYS #THFC
- First Half: Spurs controlled possession, created attacking momentum, and should have scored: - Kudus was denied by a great save. - Kudus and Bergvall combined for a goal, but it was ruled offside (0 xG). - Bergvall whiffed a golden chance in front of goal (0 xG).
- Xavi struggles, not because of LW. Sloppy touches, misplaced passes, and little overall influence. This was not about being on the left wing. His movement inside matched the system’s demands, but his execution fell short.
- Note that for the heatmaps, the left one is for the Wolves match where we played 'LW'. right one is against Brighton where he played as a '10'. Not much difference
- Kudus has been very impressive so far this PL Season 📊 - Most successful take ons (19) - Most accurate crosses (12) - Tied 2nd most assists (3) - Tied 2nd most duels won (39) - Only player in Europe’s top 5 leagues with 10+ Dribbles, Key Passes, & Tackles (19,11,10) What a signing #COYS #THFC
- New substack article just published! Carabao Cup Match Review: A look at the data and tactics behind Spurs’ 3–0 victory Some highlighted topics: - Midfield formation and Gray in his best position - Palhinha Surprise role + epic goal Link: spursiq.substack.com/p/carabao-cu... #COYS #THFC
- Another clean sheet, some rotation, some goals ✔️ Gray and Johnson very good matches. Sloppy start to the 2nd half from the team but overall deserved winners #COYS
- Both Gray and Bentancur having good matches. Bentancur more sitting back as a 6. Gray playing higher up the pitch on the right side, making some deep runs into the right channels. calm on the ball and good decision making. #COYS
