Tottenham benefitting from Jose Mourinho’s cautious approach ahead of defining fixture run

Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP9 November 2020

Having started the season by dropping points while playing well, Tottenham are developing a habit of gaining them while playing poorly.

For the third league game running, Spurs ground out an unconvincing win, beating West Brom 1-0 at The Hawthorns on Sunday thanks to Harry Kane's 88th-minute header – his 150th goal in the Premier League.

The result followed similarly scrappy wins over Burnley and Brighton – sealed by late goals from Heung-min Son and Gareth Bale, respectively – and briefly moved Spurs top of the table.

West Brom were much improved from last weekend's defeat to Fulham but Spurs played within themselves again and it was telling that Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were their standout performers, despite the 'big three' of Kane, Bale and Son starting together for the first time.

Spurs manager Jose Mourinho has seemed scarred by the late collapses against Newcastle and West Ham which cost his side four points, particularly the latter game when they shipped three goals in the final eight minutes to draw with the Hammers.

His cautious approach is working but Tottenham's luck will surely run out eventually if they continue to play within themselves against lesser clubs.

Conversely, the last three matches feel like ideal preparation for what lies in wait for Spurs after the international break, when they will face Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and current leaders Leicester in consecutive League matches.

There is little doubt that Mourinho will set-up his side to contain and counter-attack during a run that will define whether Spurs are truly contenders for the title, so there is something to be said for having prepared his players in the last three games.

Spurs might have beaten the Baggies more convincingly by releasing the handbrake but Mourinho has now established a platform to build on for the remainder of this year.

Tottenham were not at their best against West Brom, but still came away with all three points
Getty Images

Defensive confidence has been restored following the traumatising finale against West Ham, while Spurs are developing a valuable habit of nicking late goals and seeing out matches while not at their best – the sign, so they say, of a great team.

Kane said: "Early on we were probably playing better but we dropped points against Newcastle and West Ham so it was about just making sure when we're in the team, keeping hold of it.

"And in the last three games you've seen that, in the last 15 to 20 minutes we've dug deep and worked hard as a team.

"We know there's a lot of big games to come after the international break, so we can start talking about who's going to win the league in March, April time.

"So far, so good. We've probably dropped four points that we shouldn't have. Performances can get better but the most important thing is we're picking up those points."    

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