Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Leeds Live
Leeds Live
Sport
James Smailes

Sam Allardyce spells out Tottenham's weakness and tells Leeds United players the key to victory

Leeds United manager Sam Allardyce has highlighted what he believes is Tottenham Hotspur's weakness and what his players need to do if they are to get a victory which will give them any chance of staying in the Premier League.

Leeds face a decisive final day in which they need to beat Tottenham and then hope results elsewhere go their way with Everton at home to Bournemouth and Leicester City hosting West Ham United.

The Whites have home advantage at Elland Road, but that's an advantage both Everton and Leicester also boast. Eager to focus on what he can control, Allardyce is only focussed on Leeds' game and what they need to do to win.

Read more: Sam Allardyce prepared to take Leeds United injury 'gamble' with Bamford and Rodrigo update

Pointing to Spurs 3-1 home defeat to Brentford last time out, the Leeds boss is confident his players can get at a weak Tottenham defence, but says keeping possession through concentration holds the key to the whole game plan.

"Controlled aggression, calm and composure particularly in possession is a necessity," explained Allardyce when asked what would be key to victory.

"The more possession we have, the better quality we can deliver and the more we can get at Tottenham's defensive unit which I think is a weakness based on what we saw against Brentford last week.

"We can't do that without ignoring what Tottenham's strengths are. So what we try and do is score first again, which we have done in the last two games and then failed miserably after that. However long the ball is in play, it'll be around maybe 55 minutes, so we want 55 minutes of pure concentration, not 90 minutes as the ball is out of play the other time.

"I want to see their best. The best will get the fans behind them and that will help them score or do what they need to do to get a result."

READ NEXT

  • Leeds United confirm first pre-season friendly of the summer with Scandinavian trip
  • Leeds United's relegation fight not down to 'shoot for the stars' approach like 2004 says Jordan
  • Sam Allardyce has made a Leeds United rod for his own back after taking excessive risk
  • Charlie Cresswell has chance to prove Leeds United credentials ahead of European Championships
  • Leeds United duo set for Wembley play-off finals as Whites approach Cody Drameh decision
  • Sign up to read this article
    Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
    Already a member? Sign in here
    Related Stories
    Top stories on inkl right now
    Our Picks
    Fourteen days free
    Download the app
    One app. One membership.
    100+ trusted global sources.