Tottenham didn’t lose at Elland Road because of one bad tackle or one bad half. They lost a game they had picked a team to survive rather than to win, and the international break is the moment for Roberto De Zerbi to go back to the side that got them winning.
The 1-0 defeat to Leeds ended a run of three straight league wins. Noah Okafor scored with his third touch 11 minutes from time, and Daniel Farke’s side, who hadn’t won since 14 September, deserved it after owning the second half.
A lot has been said about the Jayden Bogle challenge on Mathys Tel and about the attack. Our focus here is the team sheet, because we think that’s where the afternoon started to go wrong, and it’s the part De Zerbi can fix before Ipswich Town come to N17.
What was different about the Tottenham team at Leeds?
Spurs started with Antonin Kinsky in goal, Pedro Porro, Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven and Andy Robertson across the back, and a midfield three of Archie Gray, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. Mohammed Kudus, Omar Marmoush and Tel made up the front line, with Marmoush leading it.
That wasn’t the side most of us expected. In our Tottenham predicted lineup vs Leeds United, we went for a 4-2-3-1 with Tonali and Fernandes as the pair, Marmoush behind the striker and Dominic Solanke up front. Instead, De Zerbi added a third central midfielder and asked Marmoush to play as the No.9 against a big, physical Leeds back line.
The reasoning isn’t hard to guess. Leeds are hard to play through at Elland Road, and an extra body in midfield looks like the safe option. But safe isn’t always the same as right.
Gray or Gallagher: was it the right call?
We like Gray. He scored against Crystal Palace, he has been in and around the side all season, and he had a hand in one of Spurs’ better first-half moves against his old club. He wasn’t one of the problems on the day.
The question is what he was there to do. With Tonali and Fernandes already covering the middle, Gray’s presence didn’t add anything Spurs were missing, and it cost them a forward in the shape. It felt like a team built to stop Leeds rather than one built to hurt them.
Conor Gallagher was the obvious alternative. He came on for Porro after 65 minutes, with Gray dropping to right-back, and Spurs’ one real effort of the second half before the goal was his drive from outside the box that went narrowly wide. He was the player who brought some urgency, and he did it from the bench.
The Tonali and Fernandes problem
There is a pattern worth watching. When Tonali and Fernandes play well, Spurs win, as they did at Stamford Bridge. When both have an off day, there isn’t much behind them to take over. At Leeds, both were short of their level, and De Zerbi said so himself: “Today I didn’t see the same Micky van de Ven, the same Sandro Tonali, the same Kudus.”
Adding a third midfielder was meant to protect them. In practice, it didn’t, because the duels were lost all over the pitch after the break. We gave Tonali and Fernandes a five each in our Tottenham player ratings vs Leeds, and neither would argue with that.
Why Spurs should worry less about the opposition
Farke started with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha together, which gave Leeds two bodies to press Van Hecke and Van de Ven, the two players Spurs build through. That was a smart plan, and Spurs never really answered it.
Our view is that the better answer was already in the squad. This team beat Chelsea by trusting its passing and moving the ball around a side that tried to press it. It did that with its strongest players on the pitch and a clear idea of who plays where. At Leeds, Spurs had 61% of the ball and 420 passes to 246, yet Leeds had 16 shots to their seven. All that possession went nowhere because the shape didn’t give the ball anywhere useful to go.
Top sides make the opponent adjust to them. That’s the mentality De Zerbi wants, and it’s the one he should pick for.
And the substitutions?
The triple change on 65 minutes brought on Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Gallagher for Fernandes, Marmoush and Porro. Luca Williams-Barnett replaced Kudus on 83 minutes. James Maddison stayed on the bench, and De Zerbi explained why in his reaction after the Leeds defeat: Maddison had only been back in training for a day and a half, and he wanted Williams-Barnett’s speed one-on-one.
That is fair on its own. But the overall message of those changes was more about holding on than chasing the game, and Leeds took the hint.
What should Spurs do against Ipswich?
Ipswich Town visit on Saturday 21 November, with De Zerbi watching from the stands after his third booking of the season at Elland Road. He still picks the team, and we’d like to see him pick his strongest one without one eye on the opposition.
For us, that means Tonali and Fernandes as the pair again, with Gallagher pushing for a start ahead of a third holding midfielder. And if Maddison is fully fit after two weeks to get up to speed, he should be in the side. De Zerbi said as much after the Leeds game: “When James is fit, we already know he plays.”
Verdict: Tottenham win when they play their own game
De Zerbi has earned plenty of trust. He kept Spurs up, and the run before Leeds was the best football they’ve played in a long time. One defeat doesn’t change that.
But the lesson from Elland Road is simple. When Tottenham set up to cope with the other side, they look unsure of themselves. When they pick their best XI and play, they beat Chelsea away. Against Ipswich, we want the second version.
