Tottenham Hotspur have not adapted to life without Grace Clinton in the first half of the Women’s Super League season, data shows.
Data from FBREF has shown that Tottenham were statistically worse in the first ten games of the WSL season without Clinton, compared to the first ten games with her.
Clinton spent the 2023-24 season on loan at the London club from Manchester United, but returned to her parent club ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Spurs won four games in the first ten with the midfielder, compared to three wins without her.
The side also lost two further games without her, losing five in the first half of this season, compared to three last.
With Clinton last season, Spurs drew three games in their opening ten, which has dipped to two draws this time around.
Journalist and Tottenham Hotspur fan Charlotte Davey said: “I think that Clinton was key to driving Spurs forward and presenting them with more attacking movements and possession of the ball.
“She had a good vision that meant spurs were stronger on the attack, but she also was a good player to use in the midfielder as they worked up the pitch or tried to keep possession.”
Clinton was key to Tottenham’s success last season as they reached their first major final, facing Manchester United in the FA Cup showpiece at Wembley.
Clinton was key in the run to the final, but could not play against her parent club as Tottenham lost 4-0, with United lifting their first major trophy.
This was one of just a handful of fixtures Clinton missed in her time in north London, and showed how key she was to that Tottenham side.
In the first ten games of last season, Spurs conceded 20 goals, which increased to 23 over the same timeframe in the 2024-25 season.
The number of goals scored stayed the same across both seasons at 15, but there was a clear indication that Clinton had an impact across the pitch.
One game that highlighted this was the North London Derbies at home, with and without Clinton.
In the North London Derby in the 2023-24 season, Tottenham won the game 1-0, with 39% possession.
They registered an expected goal (xG) count of 0.4, and an expected assist (xGA) count of 2.9.
This means of all the shots and passes, 0.4 and 2.9 of them were expected to come to an end result.
In the 2024-25 season, they lost the fixture 3-0, with a possession of 40%, and registered an xG of 0.1 and an xGA of 1.9.
This means that the side had less quality shots and passes in front of goal in the 2024-25 game, than the 2023-24 game, despite having 1% more possession.
Davey said: “Spurs have lacked a midfielder who can drive forward and hold up the ball while others move into stronger positions to start attacking movements.
“Clinton was often key in the lead up to goals for Spurs, and always seemed to connect well with her teammates to find the right spaces and finish clinically, which has definitely not been as evident since her departure.”
This is directly related to Clinton in her role as the playmaker during her season with Tottenham, where she was instrumental in building play and create chances.
So far, Tottenham have not adapted to using another player in that same role, which is reflected in their results.
Picture credit: Free to use under Wikimedia Creative Commons
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