Tottenham will end the Premier League weekend outside the top four after a 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Below are four talking points from St Mary’s.
1. Spurs denied win by resolute Saints
Mauricio Pochettino’s side fell behind on Sunday afternoon, Davinson Sanchez inadvertently turning Ryan Bertrand’s cross into the back of the net. They hit back soon after, Harry Kane nodding a corner past Alex McCarthy for his 99th Premier League goal, but the visitors ultimately did not do enough to seal the victory that would have moved them level with Liverpool in fourth place.
A change in formation brought Dele Alli and Son Heung-min infield after the interval, but neither was able to influence the game. Kane and Erik Lamela had chances for a winner late on, but it would have been extremely harsh on Southampton had Spurs scored a decisive second goal.
2. Southampton cause problems with crosses
Southampton broke the deadlock thanks to a brilliant low cross from Bertrand, and deliveries into the box were a key part of their attacking strategy all afternoon. James Ward-Prowse is a superb crosser of the ball and his whipped efforts – from both set-pieces and open play – caused Tottenham problems, particularly in the first half. In the second period, meanwhile, teenage debutant Michael Obafemi spurned a golden opportunity from Tadic’s ball in from the right.
It was testament to the quality of Southampton’s crossing that the tactic was effective despite their lack of a targetman centre-forward. Manolo Gabbiadini may be 6ft 1in but he is not the type of striker you would describe as being dominant in the air; Pochettino, then, will have been frustrated by his team’s inability to defend deliveries from wide areas.
3. Eriksen a miss for Tottenham
Christian Eriksen’s influence on this Tottenham team is huge, as demonstrated by their flat performance without him at St Mary’s. The Denmark international missed out through illness and Spurs did not look like the same side without him; as previously mentioned, neither Alli nor Son stepped up in his absence, with the former wasteful in possession and the latter unable to get away from opposition markers.
Eriksen is Tottenham’s creative hub and the man who makes things tick for Pochettino’s men. Without him in the starting XI, Spurs are a very different proposition.
4. Next eight weeks huge for Southampton
A draw against Spurs may be a good result for Southampton, but the point collected here was not enough to hoist Pellegrino’s charges out of the bottom three. An FA Cup clash with Watford awaits next weekend, before a run of league fixtures which will probably determine Southampton’s fate this season.
Brighton and Hove Albion will visit St Mary’s in 10 days’ time, before Saints lock horns with West Bromwich Albion, Liverpool, Burnley, Stoke City, Newcastle United, Swansea City and West Ham United. Supporters will consider most of those matches winnable, and Southampton will certainly need to collect a fair few points from that run given that Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are among their opponents in April and May.
