LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on November 6, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Tottenham should move Mousa Dembele
Tottenham should play Dembele as an attacking midfielder
As it turns out, Tottenham have the solution to their attacking issues right there under their collective noses. Mauricio Pochettino and company need to move Mousa Dembele forward into their attacking midfield three.
At first glance, Dembele doesn’t strike you as a typical attacking player. He isn’t the quickest runner, nor does he possess the ability to spray daring passes all over the pitch. The lack of those qualities has relegated him to a more defensive position for Spurs.
However, given the club’s current goal drought it’s time to look for unconventional solutions. Once such solution would be to move Dembele into the attacking midfield. Remember, Pochettino deployed him there with some success last season.
Pochettino moved Dembele back into the double-pivot last season because he was short of quality options to play next to Eric Dier. Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb failed to earn their manager’s trust. There’s a reason neither of them are at Tottenham currently.
Spurs don’t have the same issue this season. The acquisition of Victor Wanyama gives Pochettino a lot more flexibility when it comes to Dembele. The talented Kenyan is able to patrol the midfield on his own or in partnership with Dier. Dembele is no longer shackled to protect the back four.
Instead, Pochettino is free to play Dembele further up the pitch. That’s exactly what he should do. As I mentioned before, he isn’t a conventional attacking player, but he fits with the club’s current attacking personnel.
One of the challenges with Tottenham’s current attacking setup is that it isn’t the toughest group of players in England. When you start Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen in the same midfield trio you do run the risk of being overrun. They’ve struggled to penetrate the opposing defense with their timid play too many times this season.
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One thing Dembele can’t be accused of is timidity. He’s just the sort of player who can take the ball and bully his way into the final third. By doing so, he can attract a lot of attention from opposing defenses.
That’s just the sort of thing that can create space for his attacking teammates. Dele Alli, Eriksen, Son and Erik Lamela would all benefit from a little less pressure to carry the ball into the final third. By assigning that responsibility to Dembele, it would free them up for penetrating runs toward goal.
Those runs could unlock a Tottenham attack that’s been sputtering mightily. Don’t be surprised if the insertion of a Belgian tank in Spurs’ attacking midfield trio helps the club’s attack find their groove.
