Some thoughts post Spurs 3-1 West Ham

 

Some thoughts post Spurs 3-1 West Ham 

There's the famous expression that "comparison is the thief of joy." In this case couldn't be further from the truth when you compare Spurs 1st game of the season this year compared to last year. Today Spurs came out winners once by 3 goals to 1 against West Ham at home in a very confident display compared to the same fixture last season where Spurs narrowly squeaked a 1-0 win. In a way it was kind of perfect that they got the chance to play the same team for the first game, two seasons in a row. This game was the kind of performance that shows how a team can improve when you invest smartly and early so that players have the chance to have a full pre-season. 

The player of the match today was Kirsty Hanson on her competitive debut for The Lilywhites. Maybe somewhat surprisingly she started on the right wing of Martin Ho's base structure of a 4231, which saw give West Ham's back-line hell for the entirety of her time on the pitch as she caused havoc on & off the ball in behind, going down the line and cutting onside on her stronger(?) left foot (which was on full display for her 2nd goal). Compare this to last season where, honestly for half of the season, that right flank was a problem without Ella Morris at Rb & with there not really being a natural right-sided winger (Jess Naz, Olivia Holdt & Olga Ahtinen all got minutes there early last season where they were either not great or serviceable at best) and Spurs look so much more dangerous down that side now. 

The actual starting lineup took most by surprise as one of Spurs' best players from last season in Olivia Holdt was left on the bench to allow Signe Gaupset (who had an involvement in the first 2 goals with 1 goal and the assist for Hanson's first) to start in the number 10 role, which allowed her to flourish today. Gaupset is so confident bringing the ball up the field and receiving between the opposing midfield & defensive lines and her being allowed to be the player that Spurs really look to get the ball to in the 2nd phase of possession and transition.

Spurs opened the scoring with Gaupset getting on to the end of Julie Blakstad's knock down after some effective counter-pressing on the right flank saw Spurs awarded a throw, where Caitlin Dijkstra then found herself in a pocket of space on the right to deliver the ball into the box. This goal basically summed up Blakstad's performance as a flying wing-back seeing her basically act as Spurs auxilliary Lw, as she repeatedly looked to get into the box for crosses and she very nearly got on the scoresheet herself. This also allowed Matilda Vinberg to have a floating number 10 role on the inside left where she had a fairly underwhelming game but still picked up an assist. 

Spurs on-ball structure looked more of a 325, which is really what Martin Ho tried to implement last season with starting Rb Caitlin Dijkstra tucking in as a wide Cb in a back 3. This has a built-in rest defence structure when Spurs have the ball higher up the field with 5 attackers and 5 deeper players. Martin Ho's philosophy involves retaining most of the ball, baiting the press in central areas to move the ball upfield and exploiting gaps between the lines. This also allowed Spurs to make use of the wide areas now with Blakstad and Hanson being incredibly dangerous out there with the help of Gaupset & Vinberg who were able to play in the inside-wide/half-spaces channels and link the play.

Record signing Alice Sombath missed out today due to Martin Ho taking a cautious approach with her due to her injury history but because she can play either as a Rb or at centre-back, she should suit that role quite nicely. Drew Spence and Eveliina Summanen anchored the midfield well as the double pivots ahead of the defensive unit, as they were able to shuttle the ball to the front line and they were generally solid defensively. Cathinka Tandberg was the starting 9 today and had a quiet game but with a seemingly increased emphasis on crosses this season, she should still be ok as the season goes on.

For as well as Spurs played today there are still some defensive concerns which will need to be looked as they will get exploited against bigger teams. Due to Spurs playing with a high defensive line and pressing player-to-player aggressively, West Ham did exploit the Spurs right flank as Dijkstra and, to a lesser extent, Toko Kōga got spun a few times which allowed West Ham into the final 3rd a bit too easily. The goal they conceded came from Asseyi receiving a through ball from newly signed Saki Kumagai, who had too much time and space just ahead of the centre circle to pick out a pass, allowing the Frenchwoman to slot past the onrushing Lize Kop to pick up a consolation goal. 

Overall this was a near perfect start to Spurs' WSL campaign and they'll be looking to continue this momentum next week against Liverpool in St Helens.

 

Alex Scott: Bournemouth's star in the making

Even though he might not be household name just yet, Alex Scott is already showing his class in this new look Bournemouth team. Andoni Iraola is managing his minutes as he didn't make a first team appearance until the end of October where he was a starter in Bournemouth's 2-1 loss against Wolves at home. This was due to a knee injury sustained in pre-season a week before he made the switch to the south coast. Capable of playing anywhere in central midfield, Scott joined the Cherries from Bristol City for £20m in the summer and he's also made 9 appearances for England's u20 team. 

What really stands out when watching Scott is the ease with which he controls the ball. His quick footwork, small turning circle when receiving, as well as use of step-overs and drag-backs (without overdoing it) let him glide past opponents. These attributes make him an excellent ball carrier and a great option to progress the ball from his own half into the middle and final 3rds.

His off-ball movement to show for the ball and create space also stands out as he's already developing a decent amount of gravity, and is alert enough to play the ball off quickly to a teammate. He's also willing to move into the flanks to receive from his full-backs or wingers to either play the ball back inside or cross the ball on either foot. 

Scott is set to be a key part of Bournemouth's season as he's seemingly Iraola's first choice to start at number 10 behind Dominic Solanke and he also acts as a second striker when Bournemouth press in a 442 out of possession. 

I think his future does lie as a number 10 behind the striker due to how good his movement is combined with his vision and final ball (even though it can still be improved). When watching him you'll often hear him compared to Jack Grealish - more specifically Grealish's time at Aston Villa - and it's not hard to see why as they both carry themselves with an intangible swagger when they're on the ball. I can see that he'll score a good chunk of his future goals crashing into opposition boxes to get on the end of cut-backs. He's also aware enough to assist his teammates from those sorts of areas from either flank as Bournemouth are capable of playing very quick football that catches opposition defences off-guard.

He'll no doubt be called up to Lee Carsley's England u21 squad soon enough and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the senior squad in the not too distant future.