Tottenham analysis: Fernando Llorente repays Pochettino’s faith again on heroic return for Heung-Min Son

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Giuseppe Muro31 January 2019

Tottenham fought back from a goal behind to claim a vital 2-1 win over Watford at Wembley.

Heung-Min Son, immediately thrown back into the first-team following international duty, cancelled out Craig Cathcart’s first-half opener.

Fernando Llorente again showed up with a vital goal to give Mauricio Pochettino’s side a much-needed win after a double cup exit.

Giuseppe Muro was at Wembley to provide analysis for Standard Sport.

Llorente repays Pochettino’s faith again

Fernando Llorente was guilty of one of the misses of the season in the first half but his late winner could be worth its weight in gold for Tottenham.

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Spurs were poor for long periods against Watford but this win may yet be crucial in the race for the top four and it will surely do Llorente’s confidence wonders.

He ran straight over to Mauricio Pochettino after his goal. The Tottenham head coach has shown a lot of faith in Llorente and he repaid him at Wembley when he headed past Ben Foster.

Son hits the ground running

Heung-Min Son started the Tottenham revival with an equaliser and his return to the team could not have come soon enough for Spurs.

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They have badly missed Son while he was away with South Korea at the Asian Cup and he was one of their only bright sparks on what was a tough night before their late show. His form until Harry Kane is back from injury is going to be crucial for Tottenham.

Pochettino showing his tactical flexibility… but also weaknesses

It is now three games in a row that Mauricio Pochettino has switched formations at half-time.

It shows the tactical flexibility he has and it worked as Spurs turning it around after the break. But it is also a sign that he has not got the tactics right from the off.

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Against Chelsea he reverted to a back three from a back four, at Palace he switched to a back four and against Watford he did the same again.

Watford dealt cruel blow

This was a sickener for Watford, who had been flying under Javi Gracia. European qualification is still in their sights but defeat was tough to take after they were in front for most of the game.

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The Hornets suffered defeat for the first time in January and missed a chance to move up to seven in the table.

Craig Cathcart’s goal looked like it was going to be enough to secure a double over Spurs this season but Watford could not hang on.

Empty seats illustrate fan frustration at Wembley

There was one of the lowest crowds of the season at Wembley in another sign that Tottenham fans have had enough of playing at the national stadium.

The official attendance was 29,164 and the atmosphere inside Wembley was pretty grim until the late double salvo.

With fans crying out for new signings and frustrated at their exit from two cups last week, there is a good chance the swathe of empty read seats will become a regular thing until Spurs move into their new home.

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