Spurs Moving To Wembley
Last season it was announced Spurs were to play all their home games at Wembley. Due to the construction of their new stadium, White Hart Lane would not be able to continue as their home. White Hart Lane which last year was a castle. A strong unbeatable one. Only conceding 9 goals in 18 games, and went undefeated at home for the 16/17 season.
Moving to Wembley for a season sounds fine. Bigger stadium, more fans, better support, better results, right? Not exactly. To dig deeper into why it's not a good thing we have to visit their rival, The Gunners.
Look At Arsenal
In 1998-2000 Arsenal used Wembley for the Champions League matches, and as Wenger put it, it was a "nightmare". In all the years Arsenal managed to qualify for the Champions, these years were the only ones where they didn't proceed to the 1/16 finals. Just as Tottenham is today, Arsenal was then used to tight pitch, and that's not the case with Wembley. Wembley measures at 105 by 69 metres, which is a lot bigger compared to White Hart Lanes 100 x 67 metres. In total it adds up to about 500 square metres in difference.
Another Nightmare?
Other than the pitch being bigger it's not preferable for Pochettinos style of playing and pressure. Pochettino is used to a small pitch where his high pressure makes wonders, but on a larger pitch, the players have to cover more space when pressuring the opponent. To cover 500 square metres more than you are used to, might take a lot of time to adjust to.
If we take a closer look at Tottenhams current record at Wembley, it dosen't look promising. Tottenham have played 10 matches at Wembley since 2007 when it reopened. A win against Chelsea in 2008, and a win against CSKA Moscow in 2016 is the only positive results. A draw against Gent, and seven defeats, with the latest being against Chelsea in FA Cup last year. Two wins out of 10 matches is horrible. That leads us to the question. How many of the 18 games at "home" will Tottenham win this season?