Tottenham Hotspur has struggled to maintain its early regular-season momentum. The team’s Premier League sprinting statistics speak to this challenge, as hard as it is to read these words. Currently, Dejan Kulusevski stands out as the only player from Tottenham among the top 25 players in the league for total distance covered while sprinting, clocking in at 9.42 kilometers, which places him 22nd overall. The team nonetheless is sprinting at full speed. They have not been able to find the overdrive they were in for much of the spring.
Tottenham has been given a hard road this season. As far as I can tell, it’s not a question of will or speed but an underlying failure to perform at their historical highpoints. They cover an amazing 2.8 kilometers at a sprinting pace per match. That number is lacking compared to top teams across the league. Tottenham appears to be one of only five Premier League clubs that exceed this maximum sprint distance. This shows just how serious they are about physical play.
Injuries have decimated the team. At least to this point, these injuries seem more like the product of unfortunate circumstance rather than the rapid tempo created by their run-and-gun style of play. That the team has nevertheless persisted to win 10 of their past 11 matches across all competitions is a testament to their resilience in overcoming these hurdles. Despite their strong start, performance has since significantly cratered in the second half of the season. This sprint distance could hardly be termed a sprint, which accounts for this downturn in their performance.
Tottenham’s average sprint distance sits at 2.57k per game. This is a poor return when measured against their main rivals at the top end of the Premier League. At least Federico Valverde bursts into life as Spurs’ best off-ball racehorse. With a total distance of 2.47 kilometers, he’s 53rd overall in the league, highlighting the team’s struggle to replicate their former intensity.
Tottenham had an incredible comeback moment during their quarterfinal match against Paris Saint-Germain that deserves an award all on its own. They took their opponents to the wire and demonstrated their untapped greatness. The vast discrepancy in their performances begs the question of whether or not they can maintain that momentum long term.
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