Dembele believes White Hart Lane pitch is hindering Spurs
THE BELOW average size of the White Hart Lane pitch is contributing to Tottenham’s struggles to break teams down at home, according to midfielder Mousa Dembele.
Spurs have won three of their five Premier League home matches this season, though needed penalties from striker Roberto Soldado to see off both Swansea and most recently Hull on Sunday in 1-0 victories.
And while Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas has aired his view that a negative atmosphere inside White Hart Lane is not helping the side, Dembele’s belief is that the 67m by 100m playing surface – only West Ham’s is smaller in the Premier League – is proving detrimental.
“It’s not easy for us,” said the Belgium midfielder. “We know that teams are going to come here and make a block and we don’t have a big pitch so it’s even more difficult.
“We almost never win comfortably in these kinds of games, but we have a lot of quality and there must be a way to find it [a solution].
“We know we have a small pitch so it makes it even more difficult. If we have more space it’s easier for us, but we have to find a way.”