Ryan Mason has the perfect opportunity to change his Tottenham setup this weekend when Crystal Palace visit north London. Impressing in attack in his two games in charge since becoming acting head coach in wake of Cristian Stellini's exit, it has been a different story altogether at the back.
Having shipped six goals at Newcastle United in the Italian's final game in charge, it appeared that Spurs would be on course to concede a similar amount last weekend at Liverpool after finding themselves 3-0 down after only 15 minutes. Only conceding one more at Anfield after finding a way back into the contest, the manner of the goals they are letting in is extremely disappointing from a Tottenham perspective and it is giving them a mountain to climb in games as a result.
As things stand after 34 Premier League games, Tottenham have conceded a whopping 57 goals. That figure is the most by some way out of the teams in the top half of the Premier League table, with five in the bottom half having conceded fewer than the Lilywhites.
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That in part explains why they have fallen away from the Champions League spots and why they may end the season with no European football to look forward to at all next campaign. Previously opting for a back four when he was in charge of the team for their final seven games of the 2020/21 season, Mason has so far steered away from doing so this time but his thinking could change given Eric Dier and Cristian Romero's drop in form and also because Ben Davies and Clement Lenglet are back to fitness and have featured in the past couple of games.
Following the return of the Welshman, who can now take on the left-back spot if Mason goes that way, the acting head coach was asked by football.london if he is tempted to switch from five in defence to four.
"I am not sure. We are training this afternoon so we have got some decisions to make," he admitted. "Ultimately for us it is a collective to try to keep clean sheets and win games of football.
"Systems and formations, yeah they can help and can change some things but the desire of the 11 players on the pitch to have a common goal and work together is probably the most important thing."
Perhaps still lacking at right-back as Emerson Royal is out injured and Pedro Porro is an attack-minded wing-back, one option for Mason would be to adopt one of Jose Mourinho's previous tactics at Tottenham if he plumps for a back four. Due to Serge Aurier's tendency to push upfield and leave Spurs open at the back at times, the Portuguese head coach altered his plan so that Davies would push across when the right-back was up the pitch and the team in possession of the ball, thus forming a back three in the process.
As Porro is still trying to adapt to life in England and the Premier League, having him operate as a right-back, as was the case in the recent defeat at Newcastle United, isn't going to bring the best out of him and it would also curb his attacking instincts. However, using Mourinho's previous tactic would still allow the Spaniard to bomb upfield and give the team a further attacking option, as well as ensuring that Spurs would also have adequate protection at the back with Davies shuffling across.
Showing glimpses of what he can bring to Tottenham in the future during his first few months in north London, it may be next season when Spurs really see the best of Porro. It was very much the same for Lucas Moura in 2018 as the end of the 2017/18 season helped him prepare for life in the Premier League and he started the following campaign in top form, most notably when he scored two goals in the brilliant 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Given Porro's struggles at the back so far, football.london asked Mason in his pre-match press conference if he has worked with the 23-year-old on anything specific in training at Hotspur Way to help him improve his game.
"We have had very little time to work as a group," revealed Mason. "Last week we had two games in three or four days so that time was limited.
"The most important thing for me with Pedro is he has got a great attitude. He wants to learn, wants to improve and I am sure we will see him become a better player in the coming years."
Needing to make changes at the back to help stop the team conceding far too many goals, Mason ideally needs to switch things about, whether that is formation or personnel, to ensure that Tottenham aren't giving themselves an uphill battle in games week after week. Emerson may be the better suited of the players to playing at right-back but Mourinho's tactic could well benefit Porro and Tottenham's backline if Mason opts to go with it.
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