Paul Merson insists that even Erling Haaland would struggle to score consistently for Tottenham if they do not improve their crossing.
It has been a similar story for Spurs in their two losses against Arsenal and Newcastle as it was in their draw against Leicester City.
In all three of those matches, Ange Postecoglou’s men have dominated possession and have enjoyed a territorial advantage, playing most of their football in the opposition half.
However, they have struggled to produce quality final balls or moments of inspiration in the final third and have been punished as a result.
Dominic Solanke is yet to get off the mark in front of goal since his big-money move from Bournemouth, with the centre-forward feeding on scraps for much of Sunday’s North London Derby.
Merson believes that the 26-year-old needs to score around 20 goals this season to fire Tottenham into the Champions League.
The pundit told Sky Sports (15/09/24): “If they get top four, brilliant. Honestly, that would be amazing, 100% that would be amazing. They will need Solanke to get 20 odd goals.”
However, the former Arsenal man insisted that even Halland cannot score that many goals for the Lilywhites unless their final ball improves.
He added: “You can only get 20 odd goals if the crossing improves. If the crossing doesn’t improve, you can put Haaland up there, and he won’t get 20.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Tottenham’s crossing has not been good enough, while they also appear to lack inventiveness in the final third, often being content to shift it from side to side.
Our wide players need to show more willingness to run at defenders when they are in one-v-one situations rather than playing it back.
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