I read the reports first and thought, here we go again, another late siege where we barely survive. Then I actually watched it back and it didn’t feel like Spurs were battering us at all. They had plenty of the ball late on, yes, but possession and pressure aren’t the same thing.
A lot of what people call “hammering” is just a team being allowed to recycle it in front of you. Liverpool kept going long, the ball kept coming back, and that makes it look like you’re under constant threat. But if you’re mostly defending your box in a set shape, with bodies between the ball and the goal, it’s a different type of discomfort. It’s not pretty, but it’s controlled.
Possession isn’t the same as chances
Spurs having the ball for the last 10 or 15 minutes suited the moment of the game. They needed a goal. Liverpool needed to stop them getting one. That dynamic dictates everything: slower tempo, more crosses, more hopeful balls, more second phases, and a lot of noise around the box.
It’s also why the “they pummelled us” line doesn’t land with me. Creating very little is still creating very little, even if the camera angle keeps showing your penalty area. There’s always a chance something drops kindly, of course, and that’s football, but there’s a difference between riding your luck and constantly giving up big openings.
Down to 10, then 9: yes, you want calmer
Would I like us to be more comfortable when the opposition have 10, and then 9? Absolutely. It should be a situation where you keep the ball, work them side to side, and make them chase until the sting goes out of it. The game management can be better than simply hoofing it and resetting your defensive line for another wave.
But the flip side is that game state is real. Protecting a lead often turns into habits: clear first, think later. When you choose that route, you invite the optics of “pressure” even if the quality of it is low.
Slot can’t kick it for them
The bit that gets ignored is that Arne Slot was clearly trying to push the line out. If he’s screaming for them to get up and they’re still dropping off, that’s not a manager telling them to sit on the six-yard box. That’s players deciding, in the moment, that the safest thing is to defend deep and deal with what comes.
In the end, they did deal with it. Not perfect, not serene, but effective. Three points is three points. Job done.
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