From The Archives

Tottenham v. Stevenage

FA Cup 5th Round (2011-12)

Originally published on the 192squarefeet site; republished as a supplement to 

The play under discussion.

A quick pic and comment:

In the FA Cup tie between Spurs and Stevenage, as Tottenham were able to attack confidently based on the edge in talent and skill, as well as athleticism, there was a play in which the left back, Danny Rose, served a ball from near to the goal line.  His target?  The right back, Kyle Walker.





Here's some footage of the play; yes, Walker misses, but that's not really the point!  Skip ahead to the 2 minute, 50 second mark for the lead up to the cross:


An interesting moment, not one that occurs often, but in acceptable circumstances (playing a weaker team, in this case) the ideal attacking arrangement from the flanks; why put perfectly good midfielders out there to do the job, when the backs can handle it?  The more the merrier in the penalty area!

A rough approximation of Spurs' starting formation.  A 3-5-2
with Bale and Livermore marauding about in front and in
support, of Parker.  Rose and Walker provided the bulk
of the wide play.

Granted, Spurs used a variation of a 3-5-2, so technically Rose and Walker were included in the midfield.  But they are, by trade, outside backs, and were used as such.  With Bale in front of him, Rose had a fearsome shield that Stevenage would be very cautious with; they weren't going to attack the left side of Spurs and allow Bale to counter 1v1 or worse!  Therefore, Rose could attack, had to in fact, to take advantage of the reluctance of the Stevenage right back and right midfielder to push too far upfield (due to Bale's dangerousness).

The field was only 72 yards or so wide, too, so covering with three center backs was easier.  That eight yards saves a lot on gas over 90 minutes.  With the three backs marking two central attackers, the wing backs were easily free to advance and play high up the field the game was very open (Stevenage was close on many occasions to breaking the deadlock) as a result of Parker being a bit on his own against the middle of the Stevenage attack (Livermore and Bale aren't known for being defenders).

As systems go, the game was a good case study in how playing with three in the back means playing with three center backs; the flanks must be accounted for by two additional players.  However, if possession can be kept, or a sufficient offensive danger presented on the flanks, they needn't be defensive players.

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