[BBC]Chris Collinson - BBC Sport statisticianWed, November 26, 2025 at 4:35 PM UTCĀ·1 min readTottenham have been playing like an extremely efficient relegation-battler team this season.
Thomas Frank's side sit ninth in the league and are one of four teams tied on 18 points after 12 Premier League games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOnly Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea have scored more goals than Spurs so far this campaign, but in contrast, only Burnley have taken fewer shots (98).
Spurs do, however, have the best shot-conversion rate in the league.
Only Burnley, Sunderland and Aston Villa have a lower xG as well, so it is worth noting that Villa are getting results without playing very well too.
Switching to Spurs' defensive record, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has been one of the best shot-stoppers in the league - only Crystal Palace's Dean Henderson (4.2) has prevented more goals than his 3.6.
However, only Burnley, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Wolves have a higher xG against and only four teams have a better goal difference than Spurs' six.
[BBC]A lot has been talked about Tottenham's struggles to progress the ball and create chances and here is a stat I've seen that sums it up remarkably: Spurs have made just four through balls in the Premier League this season, which is the fewest of the 20 clubs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Opta definition of a through ball is when a pass splits the opposition defence for a team-mate to run on to.
For comparison, Arsenal have made the most with 43, while even bottom side Wolves have made twice as many as Spurs (nine).
This highlights Frank's need to get players like James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski back as soon as possible.
