Tottenham Tactics in Focus: Can Spurs Sustain Their Clinical Edge This Season?

Thomas Frank’s early tenure at Tottenham has produced a blend of attacking intent and caution, leaving fans curious about how the system will hold up. While Spurs sit mid-table, they sit among the Premier League’s most prolific attacking lines with 20 goals already this season, sparking debate about the sustainability of their output.

Here, we break down the numbers and the tactics behind Spurs’ scoring, and what needs to happen for their goals to become a more consistent feature of their play.

Goals versus xG: where the numbers diverge

According to Opta data, Spurs rank fourth for goals scored but are also near the bottom for expected goals. They have netted 20 goals from an xG of about 11.2, meaning they have produced roughly nine more goals than an average team would from the same shots this season.

Other title challengers like Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea have also outperformed their xG, but not to the same extent. The gap between goals and xG for Tottenham is arguably larger, raising questions about how sustainable their current rate will be across a full campaign.

Despite this, Spurs hold the league’s best shot conversion rate, a sign of sharp finishing. The question remains whether they can maintain that level while broadening their approach beyond pure clinical finishing.

How Frank’s system creates chances

Frank’s attacking blueprint is built around wide-quality supply and varied crossing. By fielding players on opposite feet on the same flank—think Porro on the right and Kudus on the left—the team can deliver inswinging and outswinging balls with both feet.

The plan targets three zones: wide areas, the half-space outside the box, and the interior box. A central midfielder or a full-back’s underlapping run often feeds a cutback into dangerous spaces, turning wide forays into more regular scoring chances.

In open play, the method resembles a small-sided game on the flanks: quick rotations and a focus on creating a cross from space where the defence is spread, rather than waiting for a perfect central opening. The aim is to create a moment when a cross can meet runners arriving at the right moment in the box.

When the ball is delivered, Spurs expect runners to arrive into the box from deep, exploiting spaces between defenders. This approach has yielded goals, including those from Richarlison after peeling off the last line in goal-scoring sequences against Burnley.

One practical benefit of the crossing-first game plan is defensive bite on the frontline. Midfielders Bentancur and Palhinha often track back behind the ball, enabling the team to push numbers forward on wide attacks while keeping a disciplined shape to recover possession in safer zones.

When a cross breaks down, the central midfielders tend to protect the ball and funnel play back to the flanks, reducing risk in the heart of the pitch.

Pressing and counter-pressing as chance creation

Beyond wide crossings, Frank emphasizes high-intensity pressing as a weapon for winning the ball higher up the pitch. He describes pressing as an attacking action, aimed at forcing errors and creating quick transitions.

While most of Spurs’ chances come from wide areas, they do strike in central moments when pressure disrupts opponents, such as a sequence from a pressed midfield turnover that ends with a strike through the middle.

The Leeds clash illustrated this approach: a high-press wins back possession in midfield, followed by a swift move through the center that culminates in a goal from a cutting pass.

A final note: is the volume there?

The underlying concern is that Spurs generate relatively few high-quality chances. With 110 non-penalty shots, they sit near the bottom of the league for shot volume, and only Burnley have fewer among the top nine teams. A heavy emphasis on wide crosses, while efficient in certain moments, can be less effective against compact, low-block defences.

Frank has acknowledged that his teams still need to be more aggressive in attacking the central channel and to improve executions in and around the box. The integration of players capable of operating between lines—such as a healthy Xavi Simons or a fit James Maddison—could bring more variation to the attack.