Tamworth - a small team with semi-professional players - caused Tottenham many difficulties in the third round of the FA Cup. Their players such as Beck-Ray Enoru (a staff at Zara), Jas Singh (a construction engineer) or Tommy Tonks (a sandwich business owner) made an interesting performance when facing one of the top giants in England.
The match took place on a narrow artificial turf pitch with steep slopes and cramped space. The technical area of Tottenham's coaching staff is just simple plastic chairs and cold weather conditions make everything more challenging. However, all of those cannot be an excuse for Spurs' lackluster performance.
Tottenham controlled the ball up to 77% and had 65 touches in the opponent's penalty area. However, Ange Postecoglou's team could not create a clear breakthrough. Pedro Porro, Sergio Reguilon and Brennan Johnson continuously made inaccurate crosses. Timo Werner, who was expected to make a difference, continued to show bad luck when given the opportunity.
Tamworth not only defends well but also knows how to create dangerous counter-attacks. Beck-Ray Enoru's speed and technique have caused Porro many difficulties. One of the home team's throw-ins almost became a goal when the ball hit the post.
One of Tottenham's rare bright spots is the return of Mikey Moore after a long absence due to injury. The 17-year-old talent could not help but have a shaky start when receiving complaints from Reguilon. However, in just about 15 minutes of explosive play, Moore showed his ability to break through, creating significant opportunities and coordinating well with James Maddison.
A notable moment was when Moore made a series of technical moves that caused the opponent to lose balance and fall down. The English star's confidence has brought some hope for a brighter future for "The Rooster".
We know this will be a challenging match with an unfamiliar pitch and a solid defensive style of play from the opponent. However, the players kept calm and patient to win - Ange Postecoglou shared.
The Australian coach also praised Tamworth's efforts, while emphasizing that Tottenham need to improve more, especially in the context of participating in 4 arenas: Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.
The victory over Tamworth came just a few days after Tottenham's impressive victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals. However, with an additional 30 minutes to play, Spurs are facing the risk of physical exhaustion ahead of the North London Derby against Arsenal in less than 72 hours.
Many key players such as Pedro Porro, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski have had to carry most of their playing time. Meanwhile, key names such as Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Richarlison are still undergoing injury treatment, making Tottenham's squad even more fragile.
In previous campaigns, Tottenham have also suffered many shortcomings in the second phase of the season. They participated in many arenas while the force always faced certain instability. This has led to Spurs not winning a title for a long time.
The victory over Tamworth gave Tottenham the opportunity to compete for the FA Cup title but will also deprive many physical strength and need a thorough plan in other arenas. The big question is whether Ange Postecoglou and his team can maintain their form and fitness during this stressful period or will they soon fall into the hands of bigger challenges?
