Home sick: Villa defeat highlights lack of attacking quality

After a fast start which resulted in an early lead, Spurs once again failed to capitalise, and two moments of quality from Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia turned the game around and earned Villa all three points.

Charity begins at home

Spurs have now won only three of their last 18 Premier League home matches, which is almost unfathomable for a club of this size and stature. The supposed 'game-changer' stadium is in serious need of game changers on the pitch, and is currently, understandably, lacking in atmosphere and optimism, despite the relatively solid start to the season.

The dire home form is an inherited problem, and it would be extremely harsh to place too much blame on Thomas Frank after only four home games, but that doesn't make him entirely blameless for Sunday's defeat. The team selection, hampered by the late Romero withdrawal, was structured to contain rather than exploit, and although Villa's xG was only 0.37 compared to our 0.97, which would favour a 1-0 home win or a draw at the very least, players, rather than statistics, win matches. Two solitary shots on target resulted in two goals, with Vicario not making a save in the entire match.

Wilson Odobert, after a lively start and a decent shot on goal, faded out of the game. Mathys Tel looked out of his depth up front, lacking both the pace and strength to hold off Villa's defenders, while also failing to take advantage of Villa's high line once we had taken the lead, running offside on multiple occasions, and spurning at least one decent chance.

Xavi Simons flitted in and out, getting into good positions without being found, while struggling to link up with the front three in any meaningful way when he had the ball. We missed Romero's line-breaking passes, despite a solid performance from Danso, and we missed Udogie's natural width, with Spence preferring to cut inside onto his stronger foot.

Tel, Odobert and Simons, while showing flashes of promise, are just not quick enough or strong enough for the PL yet, and unless you’re truly special you need at least one of those attributes alongside your talent or you just get outmuscled, with Bryan Gil being a prime example of this. Gareth Bale is probably the optimal example of what time spent in the gym can do, going from Spurs' unlucky charm to a five-time Champions League winner, so there's still room for optimism.

Broken home

It's not rocket science to see the drop off in attacking quality over the past three and a bit seasons. We've gone from Kane, Son and Kulusevski (with Moura in reserve), players all capable of winning matches on their own, to unproven 'potential' with no numbers to speak of. We've gone from Maddison, who can create and score, to Simons, who so far has done neither of those things.

Kulusevki (along with Solanke) will hopefully return soon, and I'm excited to see where he plays under Frank. Kudus has made a fine start on the right, but with no other genuine threats to nullify, opposition teams are starting to double up on him, limiting his influence. We are so sterile in open play, and our xG for our first eight league games is only 8.61, despite having scored 14 goals. Our set pieces have improved in both boxes, which they desperately needed to, and we don't give up too many chances, with Palhinha looking an excellent signing in the six position, but how do we create (and take) more chances in the short term before those players return, and before we (hopefully) strengthen the forward line in January?

Don't try this at home

The double pivot of Palhinha and Bentancur, which has been Frank's go-to midfield for the past month or so, has only been genuinely successful in our win at City, where a very different type of performance was required. It should also be noted that the third midfielder that day was Sarr, who started the season in fine form, but has been largely ignored since he scored in the 3-0 win at West Ham. Lucas Bergvall, who scored and assisted in that game, is also currently on the periphery.

Is the biggest problem currently the Palhinha and Bentancur double pivot.

Or is it the system/ build up Thomas Frank plays which causes the biggest issue.

Or both? pic.twitter.com/gWsJ2Xpwgs

— 𝐻𝒾𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒽𝓎 (@HimothyReports) October 21, 2025

There are occasions, like City away, where you can understand that selection. But we used it at home to Bournemouth, where we were outplayed and deservedly lost, and we used it again at home to Wolves, where we were again outplayed but managed to scrape a 94th-minute equaliser. And we used it again on Sunday. So, is this 'solidity over creativity' strategy working, especially at home? The results, and performances, would beg to differ.

The absence of Sarr or Bergvall can probably be put down to the introduction of Simons, and the hope that he will play himself into form, while providing protection behind him. But the double six is one of the reasons why Simons is struggling. There is nobody busting a gut to get into the box, which is the role of the 8 that we no longer have, and the attacking players, Kudus aside, are not capable of beating or running beyond their markers, leaving Simons with nobody to thread the ball to. And if Simons decides to get into the box, there is nobody with the quality to find him.

In the short term, with the absence of Solanke and Kulusevski, we need more energy in the team, and we need to find different ways to score other than set pieces, especially at home where most teams will sit in a low block. When Udogie plays, an inverted winger is the correct option, and until he proves himself to be able to cope physically in the middle of the park, as Harry Redknapp did with Modric all those years ago, I would play Simons off the left. But when Spence plays at left back there's no natural width. On those occasions I would move Kudus to the left, and I would bring Johnson in on the right as, despite his limitations, he scores goals and has the pace to hurt teams in transition.

Bergvall and Sarr need to come back into the team as they provide energy, physicality, height, and, in Bergvall's case, tremendous ability that needs to be nurtured. Bentancur, despite scoring on Sunday, is not the player of old since the ACL injury, and should mainly be used as understudy to Palhinha, a second-half substitute when we need to close out a game, or as a part of the double pivot in certain away games. It also concerns me that he is taking valuable minutes away from Archie Gray, who should also be getting more game time than he is at the moment.

Go big or go home

For the majority of die-hard fans, watching their team hasn't felt the same since that final season at White Hart Lane, when we recorded an incredible 17 wins and two draws from our 19 Premier League matches. Beautiful as it is, the new stadium needs a catalyst to really feel like home, despite the location remaining the same. That could be the signing of a new superstar (or the return of an old one), as ready-made signings have been short in supply, especially in attacking areas, but it will need to be accompanied by a change in attitude.

Since the opening 10 games under Ange Postecoglou, which proved to be a false dawn, and the unravelling that followed against Chelsea (why is is always Chelsea?), fans have got used to slow, uninspiring football, with a lot of sideways passes, and the inability to overcome a low block. In order to make the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a real fortress, which it needs to be for the club to have any chance of sustained success, some of the pragmatism will need to go out the window, and with just cause as it isn't working anyway.