Tottenham continued their poor run of form in the Premier League with a third consecutive defeat, losing to London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
A slow start from Spurs saw Ange Postecoglou berate his players from the sidelines, as they went behind from a Trevoh Chalobah header.
While the Lilywhites improved in the second half, they were unable to fight their way back into the clash, with Nicolas Jackson doubling Chelsea’s lead and putting the game to rest.
The Tottenham manager has plenty to ponder as his side flounder to the finishing line, with seven points and only one game in hand separating themselves from Aston Villa in the fourth and final Champions League qualification place.
Improvements will be desired for the general play on display from Spurs, however there is a clear weakness that teams are starting to take advantage of.
Tottenham set-piece problem
One problem facing Tottenham as of late comes from defending set-pieces, with five goals conceded from them in the last three games.
Following the clash with Arsenal, Postecoglou wasn’t that concerned about pouring time into improving set-pieces, however two goals conceded from free-kicks against Chelsea will add extra cause for concern.
Chalobah, one of the scorers for the Blues, exposed this weakness for Spurs even further as he told Sky Sports after the match: “We figured out that around the back post was key, it was in the last game [against Arsenal] as well and that’s what we worked on.
“We all know our roles and [Marc] Cucurella, it’s a credit to him for getting me through [blocking Brennan Johnson].”
When pushed for further details on Tottenham’s weakness, the Cobham academy graduate added: “We knew that area would be a bit isolated with Benoit [Badiashile] being a decoy as well.
“It causes a bit of confusion. I’ve been working on my headers and we’ve worked a lot on set pieces and it was a perfect ball for me to go and attack.”
Do Tottenham need a set-piece coach?
While Postecoglou has previously said he won’t add a set-piece coach to his Tottenham coaching staff, it may be time to reconsider.
There are clear weaknesses in the way Spurs defend these corner and free-kick opportunities, starting with Guglielmo Vicario’s commanding of his box, all the way to the zonal marking structure.
With each passing week and every goal that flies into the back of the net courtesy of a set-piece, pressure builds on the Lilywhites to find an answer.
Fine margins could deny Tottenham that place in the top four, which could come down to those small moments from corners and free-kicks.