e-Spurs Preview - Partizan Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur

Article by Matt Tumminia - @MeCrazyMatt

Follow e-Spurs on Twitter
Follow e-Spurs on Instagram
'Like' us on Facebook

Partizan Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur

Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia

18 September 2014

Tottenham Hotspur, coming off a tough draw on the road to a lucky Sunderland side that twice came from behind to secure a share of the points, seeks to get back in the win column to start their Europa League Group Stage campaign.

Black Cat Bad Luck

Playing some beautiful football that was both patient and relentless, Spurs should have seen off their opposition to the tune of 3 or 4 goals if they were more clinical in front of goal and the crossbar was an inch or so higher. As fate would have it, the crossbar stopped two would-be “goal of the season” contenders from the impressive Moussa Dembélé and the rejuvenated Erik Lamela, and allowed Sunderland to remain in the match. The final 10 minutes was destined to be entertaining with the home side pouring forward at every attempt and allowed them to win some free-kicks, poorly given, in dangerous positions. As luck would have it, our usual nemesis, defending on a set piece and a lack of concentration, condemned Spurs to a Harry Kane own goal and a tough draw instead of an inspired, gritty win. A set-back result-wise, but an incredible attacking clinic and performance from the front 4 that showed an incredible understanding of each other’s movements as we cut through the Sunderland defense at will and created chance after chance while holding the opposition to only 1 shot on target. One cannot fault the team for their effort and it would take a blind man to not notice the improvement in the entire team and how they have made great strides in adapting to Mauricio Pochettino’s high-pressure based system in a short time.

Eastern Opposition

Partizan Belgrade, the second most successful Serbian football club with 25 league titles, have their eye on number 26 which would bring them level with their eternal rivals, Red Star Belgrade, as they sit atop the SuperLiga table with a perfect record of 5 wins from 5. This capital based club is also among the most successful European clubs outside of the major leagues and may have brought home the 1966 European Cup if not faced with a dominating Real Madrid squad who had won 5 of the previous 10 finals. Even though they lost the match, the club gained much respect for beating a Manchester United squad managed by the legendary Sir Matt Busby and boasting the likes of Bobby Charlton and Denis Law by an aggregate score of 2-1. Unfortunately, Partizan could not repeat the success of the campaign of ‘66 and it took another decade before they regained their foothold at the top of the table and claim the league crown. Since then, Partizan and Red Star have been the two top clubs in Serbia and previously, Yugoslavia, but Partizan went on quite the run lately with 6 straight league championships prior to Red Star breaking their dominance with a 1 point championship win. Needless to say, The Black-Whites are not a team to be taken lightly and will be a well-organised and disciplined side who present a dangerous attacking threat.

Tactical View

Partizan

As mentioned earlier, they are the league leaders and have scored a whopping 18 goals in 5 matches with Petar Škuletić and Danko Lazović each scoring almost once per match in an attacking 4-4-2, so we should respect them and not just assume that they will bunker down for the full 90. Škuletić will act as the target man while Lazović acts as a second striker, capable of making runs on either wing or sitting in the hole similar to a traditional no. 10. Their midfield typically consists of two defensive midfielders shielding the back 4 and allowing their fullbacks to get forward at every attempt, and two out-and-out wingers in Zivkovic and Grbic that are able to stretch defenses and get into dangerous crossing positions. This type of set-up allows for quick vertical ball movement via wingplay and overlapping by the fullbacks, which can stretch a defense and allow space in the middle for an unmarked attacker.

As most Eastern European squads, this Partizan team will be well drilled and be very compact when forced to defend deep, especially if Tottenham attempt to build up their attack slowly. This compactness can then be sprung in an instant to attack a weak point or bypass the midfield with a long ball down the channel. Their well-drilled mentality will also be to their advantage during set pieces and as Spurs have been known to lose concentration at critical moments, their manager will likely look to these situations as great opportunities for his side.

Tottenham

Mauricio Pochettino and his high-pressure system will attempt to harass the backline of Partizan and although the Serbian backline may be strong, they may be suspect technically. The pressure and closing off of passing lanes in their defensive third can lead to some forced turnovers where our pacey attackers can run at them or combine quickly with others to get behind an advancing fullback or an out of position central defender. If we are able to force such turnovers in such dangerous positions, our lineup, which will likely feature Lennon and Townsend on the wings, can exploit space and use their speed and quickness to force the defense to shift from side to side, leaving holes in the centre or even an unmarked player far-post. It is then up to these two players, and the fullbacks, Davies and Naughton, to deliver quality deep crosses and cut-backs into the 18 yard box for our other forward thinking players and maybe a late arriving Bentaleb or Paulinho to attack without being picked-up by an opposition marker.

Our technical ability should allow us to maintain control of the ball for long stretches but we must be wary of such play as a simple mishit pass could allow for a Partizan counter where we have the majority of our players out of position. When our attackers are in full flow, the result can be swift and deadly attacks with quick one-twos and flick-ons to allow players to get behind a possibly static defensive backline, which can lead to clear-cut chances for our forward players. Also, Partizan being a strong, physical side, their physicality combined with our quickness may lead to the concession of a cheap foul deep in their territory or in another forward area where we may be able to use a set play or go for goal from a direct free-kick. Depending on which forward we field, likely Kane or a returning Soldado, our philosophy may be altered as Kane is a bit more of a classic no. 9 with his strength in the air while Soldado may allow us to use a more intricate passing game as he has great skill in linking up play and pulling defenders out of position for a cheeky pass to a willing runner into the departed space.

Final Thoughts

Having been the victim of a classic sucker-punch of a match this past weekend, Pochettino will have likely gotten his point across about not taking other, less world renowned sides lightly and focused his past few days of training on finishing in front of goal and concentration during different match situations. This match may represent the perfect opportunity for a rebound win and something to build upon after going 2 league matches without maximum points. Players who have been a big part of the campaign thus far may also see this as a great time to show their talent and present a case for their involvement in more league matches.

On the other hand, this is a hostile environment in a foreign land against the league leaders in their respective country. Partizan and their group of supporters known as “The Grobari”, which is translated as “The Gravediggers”, can create a very intimidating evening in Serbia. We all remember how a hostile environment put us off against such clubs as Dnipro, Maribor and PAOK and the home side used this advantage to get positive results while not allowing us to play our usual attacking game. Partizan and “The Grobari” definitely will have noticed this and will be singing, stomping and lighting flares to create a setting closer to Dante’s Inferno than a sporting match.

This match can really go either way so it is highly likely that the final score line will be a low scoring draw as if the home side get an early lead, they may just attempt to protect the lead and unsettle Spurs. If Spurs go ahead early, the crowd may go silent for a few moments but “The Grobari” have never been the quiet types and their usual, all-action support will amp up their home club to get an equaliser.

Thanks for reading.

© e-Spurs 2014 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Spurs

Share on Google Plus