Tottenham’s defensive metrics show the media narrative is wrong

Tottenham’s defensive numbers paint a clear picture on whether they have improved from last season, disproving the media narrative about their struggles at the back.

Spurs criticised for being too open

The general criticism of Tottenham this season has been that while they are enthralling to watch going forward, they are too open at the back and can always be got at defensively.

However, while that criticism might have been valid last season, they certainly do not hold up to scrutiny this campaign when one takes a closer look at their defensive numbers.

Tottenham have made major strides defensively

Premierleague.com did a deep dive into Spurs’ defensive metrics (prior to gameweek nine) and they found that the North London side are actually one of the best in the league defensively.

Only four teams in the entire Premier League have a lower figure for Expected Goals Against (xGA) than Tottenham’s 8.9, suggesting that Postecoglou’s men are among the best in the league when it comes to restricting the opposition’s chances.

The Lilywhites have shown a significant improvement when it comes to xGA from last season after conceding 61 goals over the course of 2023-24.

Even more impressively, Tottenham have restricted the opposition to an xG of one or lower on four different occasions this season, as many as they managed through the whole of last campaign.

The numbers could have been even better

Even though these numbers are impressive, the reality is that they could have been even better if Tottenham had avoided unforced errors at their back.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, many of the goals that Spurs have conceded this season have not come as a result of being too open but rather down to lapses in concentration from our defenders.

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