Tottenham 0-2 Leicester: A blueprint for beating the deep-block

Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City were tactically superb against José Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur, in another Premier League victory away from home for the Foxes. The biggest positive to takeaway from the fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is that they’ve developed a blueprint on how to beat teams that implement a deep-block.

In my last article, I ended the piece stating that José Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur was probably the “worst” fixture for Leicester City to face, after the Foxes endured a poor display at home versus Everton. I still stand by this sentiment, but I’m also happy to delve into Brendan Rodgers’ setup and dissect the game plan that gave his men another terrific three points on the road.

First and foremost, this game was unlike the other spectacles away from home. Mourinho has implemented a rigid defensive structure in his brief time with Spurs, and is finally seeing the benefits of the system during this season. This doesn’t mean his football is “negative” as he’s still giving creative freedom in counter-attacking scenarios to the most prolific duo in the league – Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane, and they’re seeing great results as a consequence.

In the other fixtures, Rodgers’ structure was focused around sacrificing possession and utilising the ball in fast-paced transitions. Against Manchester City, Arsenal, and Leeds United this worked well, as all three sides aim to control the ball – even if it’s in different ways. However, with Spurs, you’ve got a team that’ve enjoyed exceptional results with as little as 25% possession – this was a completely different beast.