Tottenham Hotspur travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa this weekend.
It is a game that carries added importance for Jose Mourinho’s men, who can cut the gap to fourth-placed Chelsea to a solitary point if they win. Chelsea, of course, play Manchester United on Monday.
However, there is unlikely to be a repeat of the opening game of the season, when Mauricio Pochettino guided his side to a relatively straightforward 3-1 win over the newly-promoted Villans.
Spurs did have to come from behind in the game after John McGinn had given Villa the lead in the first-half, but a debut goal from Tanguy Ndombele and a Harry Kane brace ensured that the hosts took all three points.
With Pochettino gone, though, it is a pertinent time to look back at that first game and see if we can draw any parallels with Jose Mourinho’s reign thus far.
The answer, amazingly, is really that we can’t.
Kane, of course, is currently injured, while Ndombele is being nursed through games – he has completed the 90 minutes once since the former Inter Milan manager’s appointment.
Per WhoScored, Spurs absolutely dominated proceedings throughout the clash with Villa. They had 70.1% possession – a number Mourinho has not matched in his last 10 games in charge – while they also had a staggering 31 shots on goal. Again, Mourinho has not matched that.
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There is also a point to be made about certain personnel; Christian Eriksen came off the bench in the 64th minute and helped turn the tide, while Kyle Walker-Peters and Danny Rose began the season as Spurs’ full-backs. All three have now left the club, with Eriksen joining Inter and Walker-Peters and Rose shipped out on loan to Southampton and Newcastle United respectively.
This weekend, then, there is unlikely to be a siege from Spurs and it is more likely that Mourinho will instruct his side to play more cautiously, looking to build in a slower manner and rely on individual brilliance in attack.
Across the last 10 Premier League games that Spurs have played, they have averaged 48.27% possession and a shot count per game of 11.1.
Their nadir for possession came against Manchester City, when they had just 33.1% of the ball, while they also recorded just three shots, despite winning 2-0.
Their zenith, by comparison, came against Southampton in the Premier League, when they chalked up 59.1% of the ball. The most shots in a game under Mourinho, interestingly, came against Watford, when they had 16. Spurs didn’t beat either Southampton or Watford, losing to the former and drawing with the latter.
It speaks to an old Mourinho adage: Whoever has the ball is more likely to make a mistake.
We are sure to see some more of that thinking this weekend.