TTLB Opinion: How can Tottenham contain Kasper Høgh

We have seen how their full-backs and wingers continually target Høgh by pinging in whipped crosses (here I mean both aerial crosses and low crosses) that are aimed into more of a penalty spot and around the 6-yard box. And he is also their primary target from the dead ball situations.

At times Bodo also tries to bypass their midfield (especially when opponents have an overload in the phase) by pinning in balls to Høgh, who tries to win flick-ins and second balls or maybe ends up knocking it down for runners from the midfield.

So now the main question comes about: how will Tottenham contain him?

Tottenham can position themselves a bit tighter to Kasper, but their defenders have to make sure that they don’t get reckless. He just has to stay tight to Høgh’s back and not allow him that freedom to receive and lay off passes easily. This is where maybe Romero’s aggression can come to use, given how he can use his physicality a bit early (maybe within 5–10 yards of the box), and this way end up disrupting the timing of his jumps without conceding fouls. Høgh loves feeling that contact, but he will end up struggling if his marker ends up consistently shifting his balance and denying clean leverage in aerial duels.

Another thing that the North Londoners could do is end up containing wide spaces. The Premier League heavyweights would like to engage their full-backs (Porro and Udogie) a bit early when Bodo’s wide players receive the ball, creating that sense of containment to hold easy crosses flowing in. You can also force the Norwegian side to cross from deeper zones, and this way there will be more time for Vicario to claim the balls or for the defenders to intercept and clear. It’s given that the 24-year-old is at his best when he sees those quick and whipped crosses, but these deeper and floated crosses (which are a bit slower because of the angle and how the ball is curling in the air) will end up reducing his effectiveness.

We spoke about how Bodo likes to flick the balls to Kasper; maybe if Ange ends up deploying Bentancur and Sarr a bit closer to the back line, it should give an advantage to the Lilywhites in those dropping second balls.

And lastly, we can speak about the set-piece situations. Tottenham can end up using a blend of zonal and man marking where maybe Ange assigns someone like Micky van de Ven on him with Romero protecting the 6-yard line. It’s important to not let Høgh rise to the aerial duels uncontested.

Author Opinion

Tottenham has to force Høgh into chasing the game sideways rather than getting the on plate in the penalty box. This one is going to be an interesting battle, and it will be interesting to see how Ange Postecoglou lines up his team to protect the North Londoners from the 24-year-old’s goal threat this midweek.