Analysing Mousa Dembele’s midfield masterclass for Tottenham against Middlesbrough

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When a team second in the Premier League host a side that are only a single point above the relegation spaces, it’s not often that it’s the title-challenging sides’ defensive midfielders that receive a lot of praise for their performances.

Yet this was certainly the case on Saturday evening at White Hart Lane, as Tottenham defensive midfield duo Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele starred in their side’s convincing victory.

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Dembele in particular impressed against struggling Middlesbrough, taking it upon himself to act further up the pitch and allow Wanyama to sit back near the half-way line, marshalling Alvaro Negredo’s every move – matching physicality with physicality.

This, therefore, allowed Dembele the freedom to roam around the final third, almost like an attacking midfielder, and Middlesbrough’s midfielders simply had no idea how to cope with his constant movement into pockets of space between the lines of defence and midfield.

The 29-year-old completed 92% of his passes at White Hart Lane, barely putting a foot wrong in the final third, and he backed this up with six tackles, four aerial duels, and two interceptions.

Not only this, but the Belgian’s physicality allows him to drive with the ball at his feet, and this is a directness that the likes of Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son don’t quite have. This just gives the opposition defence yet another problem to deal with and adds another dimension to a Spurs attack.

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Aitor Karanka’s side will certainly be glad to see the back of him after his phenomenal display, with Dembele covering almost every blade of grass possible as he looked to lift his side to a much-needed win, acting as an immense figure in the middle of the park.

An honourable mention needs to go to Wanyama, however, who is beginning to strike up a simply fearsome partnership with the Belgian in the Tottenham midfield.

Wanyama had 109 touches of the ball on Saturday, more than anyone on the pitch (Dembele had ten fewer touches), as well as winning back possession more times than anyone as well (eight).

Speaking after the match about his partnership with Dembele, Wanyama said:

Mousa Dembele’s performance didn’t go unnoticed by his manager Mauricio Pochettino either, with the Spurs manager praising his contribution to the win on Saturday. He said:

“We dominated. It’s important to dominate that area because it’s the area where you build the football and the game – we have two strong players (in Dembele and Wanyama).”

The Dembele-Wanyama combination in the heart of Tottenham’s midfield will face a sterner test when they travel to Anfield next weekend to play Liverpool, but they’ll go into the encounter as arguably the two in-form players in the whole Premier League right now, ready to battle once again.

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