Graham Potter's surprise tactics for Tottenham: Yves Bissouma and Tanguy Ndombele battle is key

Tottenham’s trip to Brighton's Amex Stadium tomorrow will trigger unpleasant memories for the North Londoners

Last season, Brighton thrashed Spurs 3-0 at home, just four days after their 7-2 hiding to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Spurs’ former boss Mauricio Pochettino, who was later sacked after a poor start to the season, fell victim to Neal Maupay’s early tap-in and Aaron Connolly’s impressive brace on his home debut.

The now PSG head coach led Spurs to the first Champions League final in their history just months before, branding them as a creative outfit in attack and a high-pressing team in defence.

However, during Pochettino’s turbulent spell at the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the players failed to press teams with the same intensity, which subsequently gave opponents a weakness or vulnerability to exploit.

One of the contributing factors to Brighton’s 3-0 triumph at the Amex was their ability to outrun and outwork Spurs. Although Hugo Lloris’ fumble gifted Brighton the opener, Connolly was given acres of time and space to cross the ball into the danger zone, having not been closed down on the wing.

As the game progressed, Spurs were forced to overload players forward in search of an equaliser, which offered Albion the chance to hurt the visitors on the break.

Potter’s deployment of a 4-4-2 against Spurs was arguably the perfect choice: it allowed for solidity and resilience in defence, whilst still posing a threat once the ball was retained.

Nevertheless, if Potter hopes for a repeat at the Amex this weekend, he will have to consider how to combat a vastly different Spurs side to the one he faced last season.

Since Pochettino’s departure, Jose Mourinho has firmly rooted his methods into Tottenham’s playing style and managed to transform them into a ruthless defensive unit, capable of hurting teams on the counterattack.

Spurs now boast the best defensive record in the league behind Manchester City, having conceded 20 goals in 19 appearances.

Cautious not to over commit in attack, Mourinho conventionally deploys two powerful runners in a double pivot ahead of the back four, trusting the duo of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son to score the lion’s share of goals for the team.

Spurs will however be without Kane for this one following his ankle injury sustained in the midweek loss to champions Liverpool.

A key feature of the weekend’s game will be the individual battles in the centre of midfield, predominantly between Yves Bissouma and Tanguy Ndombele, who are both enjoying a rich vein of form.

The Malian and the Frenchman perform similar roles in their respective sides, as both are expected to fight for loose balls and cover the space in front of the defence, as well as dictate the pace in the middle of the pitch.

Mourinho’s troops tend to play their best football against top six rivals or ball-dominant opponents, where they can camp inside their own half, concede possession and dispatch sides against the run of play.

Notably, Spurs managed to topple both Manchester clubs earlier in the season, winning 6-1 against United and 2-0 against City by adopting this approach.

The silver lining for Brighton fans is that Tottenham struggle to pose the same threat against teams who are comfortable out of possession.

Relegation candidates Fulham, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, who are often careful and conservative in approach, have each managed to steal 1-1 draws with the North London club.

Despite the glory of last season’s match-up, Potter must be wary heading into the clash with Spurs, and urge the team to play with the defensive solidity they displayed against Manchester City, Leeds and Fulham in recent outings.