Tottenham’s £185m Midfield Revolution is Underway, But the Final Piece is Broken

After just one single victory in 36 years of trying, even the most optimistic of Tottenham Hotspur supporters didn’t expect to walk away from Stamford Bridge with all three points on Saturday. Yet, not only did Roberto De Zerbi’s team get one over on their bitter blue rivals, but they did so in some style. 2-0 may have been the final scoreline, but Chelsea could hardly have argued had it ended up three or four. And I believe this fire was largely lit by the first sparks of Tottenham Hotspur’s long-awaited midfield revolution…

When you break your all-time transfer record twice in a week and spend £185m on new midfielders, people are going to talk. That’s fair enough. Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes cost a lot of cash. But let’s also not forget what rival fans were saying. Newcastle supporters dismissed Tonali as an overpriced waste of money. Man United fans insisted they got a better deal by opting for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans for half the price. Even the Spurs faithful were starting to worry that significant money had been misplaced. After all, Tonali wasn’t performing, and Fernandes wasn’t even starting. Then last week, everything changed.

Although the Italian had shown signs of life against Man United and Aston Villa, Tonali put in his best performance in a Spurs shirt at home to Coventry under the lights. He had the most defensive contributions on the pitch. No outfield player recorded more recoveries or tackles. Only Archie Gray covered more ground. Only the two centre-backs had better passing accuracy. The stats spoke for themselves.

• Minutes played: 90
• FotMob rating: 7.9
• Touches: 87
• Pass completion: 94%
• Chances created: 2
• Distance covered: 12.3km
• Recoveries: 7
• Defensive contributions: 15
• Passes into the final third: 4
• Line-breaking passes: 3

Step one complete! What happened against Chelsea was the second step in the Tottenham midfield evolution as Mateus Fernandes entered the fray. His minutes had been disrupted by injury, lack of fitness, and a newborn baby, but the Portuguese under-21 international made his fourth Premier League start for Spurs at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. You wouldn’t have known it, though. It looked like his 100th!

No one touched the ball more than Fernandes’ 121 times. No one made more accurate passes than his 91 out of 99. No one had more successful passes in the opposition half or the final third. No one completed more line-breaking passes… or penalty area entries… or chances created… or accurate crosses… or defensive contributions… or tackles… and breathe!

• Minutes played: 90
• Pass accuracy: 92%
• Line-breaking passes: 19
• Chances created: 2
• Tackles: 5
• Defensive contributions: 14
• Duels won: 6
• Possession won: 6
• Distance covered: 11.0 km
• Top speed: 28.4 km/h

Not only was it Fernandes’ best game in a Spurs shirt so far by a landslide, but it was Tottenham’s most complete midfielder performance all season – including Tonali the previous week. Tonali was no slouch against Chelsea either, though. He covered the most ground with 11.7km, had a pass accuracy of 91%, made 12 defensive contributions, and eight line-breaking passes. In fact, Fernandes proved to be the perfect foil to unlock Tonali’s more natural number eight abilities.

By combining the two of them, Spurs enjoyed the sheer press resistance and line-breaking ability of Fernandes, while also getting the running power and consistency of Tonali. Tottenham’s best midfield relationships in the last two decades have always come in pairs. Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama. Scott Parker and Luka Modric. Are Fernandes and Tonali the next iteration? If so, they are going to need their Rafael Van der Vaart or Christian Eriksen to complete the puzzle.

A fully fit James Maddison is, without question, that missing piece. The unfortunate truth is that he never seems to be fully fit. Madders is into his fourth season in N17 now and has only completed 90 minutes in the Premier League just five times for the Lilywhites. Five times in over three years!

The midfield maverick was almost instantly back to his electric best against Coventry and Chelsea, scoring the opener in the first game and breaking the lines for fun at Stamford Bridge. Finally, Tottenham fans were treated to a glimpse of the promised land – a trio of Fernandes, Tonali, and Maddison… for all of 50 minutes. Unfortunately, the former Leicester City star then picked up a fresh groin injury, leaving Conor Gallagher to take his place.

We are still waiting to see how serious Maddison’s latest injury will prove to be, but it serves as a clear reminder that Tottenham cannot rely on him to play week-in, week-out. Eriksen was once one of Pochettino’s most willing runners, not to mention his penchant for an important stoppage-time goal.

That feels like something Spurs will never quite get from Maddison. His injury problems will also force De Zerbi to be even more careful with Dejan Kulusevski, who could fill the number 10 void himself once he returns to full fitness from his 526 days out. The last thing Spurs can afford is a fresh setback for the Swede, with Maddison and Xavi Simons both unavailable.

Good news for Tottenham Hotspur: the midfield revolution has arrived. Bad news – it still lacks the consistent, creative cherry on top.