Justin Cochrane identifies issue with one Ange Postecoglou tactic at Tottenham
Tottenham’s new assistant coach, Justin Cochrane, spoke about Ange Postecoglou’s use of inverted full-backs a few months ago, explaining the advantages and disadvantages that come from the approach.
Cochrane, Frank’s trusted associate at Brentford, has followed the Dane to Tottenham Hotspur as the Lilywhites embark on a new era.
According to reports, Cochrane was in line to replace Frank as Brentford’s head coach had he remained with the Bees, with the West London club alleged to have fought hard to keep him.
Interestingly, just a few months ago, the 43-year-old had analysed the advantages and shortcomings of one of the quirks in Postecolgou’s system.
Justin Cochrane analyses Ange Postecoglou’s use of inverted full-backs
Cochrane had spoken about Tottenham’s use of inverted full-backs in the round of 16 second-leg win against AZ Alkmaar, with the interview being published in the Europa League final matchday programme.
The English coach pointed out that while it helps Spurs create overloads in midfield, it also means that the full-backs have a difficult time recovering when there is a turnover in possession.
He said about Tottenham’s use of Pedro Porro and Djed Spence in that fixture against Alkmaar: “The full-backs are often narrow, which creates more passing options and makes the opposition close the inside, opening up passing lanes for the wide players to go one-on-one. The narrow full-backs also create central overloads.
“Once the ball goes wide, there is often a run into the half-space from an inverted fullback or the high No8 if the full-back is lower. The full-back who goes inside must be technically good and able to operate in tight areas. They need to be offensive. The problem they face is the distance of their recovery if the ball has been lost.
“A full-back must have the ability to receive and play in tight spaces between lines – to play like a midfielder – a key attribute for playing as an inverted full-back. The timing of runs forward into the half-space is also important, while recovery runs are too. A player has to get back into position if the ball is turned over. We saw Spurs’ full-backs doing all three of these.”
Cochrane says inverting full-backs also caused Tottenham issue
The new Spurs assistant coach pointed out that when full-backs play narrowly, it also provides a problem for Tottenham when building out from the back.
Cochrane pointed out that it limits the passing options that the Spurs centre-backs have when they are on the ball.
When asked how inverted full-backs can affect the other players around them, the 43-year-old said: “The centre-backs no longer have an easy pass to a full-back and can sometimes pass straight to a winger. The other midfielders fill the spaces, but there is not a clear pattern.
“In the Spurs vs AZ game, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall often dropped into the spaces and looked for a forward pass.”
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