In Focus: Lloris under the microscope as stuttering Spurs face Seagulls

Hugo Lloris has been a rock-solid foundation for Tottenham since signing in 2012 — but he may now be hindering Antonio Conte's side in possession.

The France captain, 35, is generally an excellent shot stopper and an experienced figure. However, he leaves a lot to be desired when Spurs are trying to play out from the back.

Conte's outfit have thrived on the counter-attack this season but are struggling to control games with the ball for extended periods.

Ahead of today’s trip to possession-heavy Brighton, we take a look at how Lloris is performing this season.

Getting involved

Despite claims that Spurs have no intention of playing through sides and merely just sit deep to protect their box, Conte still wants his team to build from the back — and two centre-backs will typically come close to receive the ball when Lloris has a goal kick.

In the Premier League this season, the veteran stopper ranks third-highest for passes completed (178) and fourth-highest for passing accuracy (79.11%).

Those numbers demonstrate that Conte intends to involve Lloris in build-up play — but perhaps not in the most effective manner.

His accuracy may be high because the passes he attempts are simple, square passes, rather than risky ones that will break the lines.

Eye test

Despite boasting strong passing numbers, the eye test tells a different story.

In the North London derby last week — on the rare occasions Tottenham would play out from defence — Lloris struggled to consistently find a white shirt.

When being pressed, he typically tried to float the ball out to a wing-back but struggled to put the correct weight on his passes — often gifting possession back to Arsenal and allowing them to camp out in Spurs' half.

Tottenham arguably require a more typical modern goalkeeper — calm, collected and able to provide a platform for their build-up from deep.

Shot-stopper

Despite recent criticism, there is no doubting Lloris' overall ability.

The 35-year-old has been an extremely loyal servant to Tottenham, signing in 2012 and making an incredible 427 appearances in all competitions since then.

His showreel is sensational. Lloris has an incredible capacity to sprawl across his goal and make seemingly impossible saves — and he has kept Tottenham in numerous games during his decade at the club.

The error for Gabriel Jesus' strike at the weekend aside, his efforts to keep goals out of the net this season have still been top-class.

lloris — a 139-cap international — has made more saves from shots outside of the box than any other Premier League goalkeeper (13).

He has also won possession in the defensive third more times than any other player in his position in the division (14), suggesting that he does a fine job of sweeping up behind his defence.

A vital cog

Conte has left no doubt that he views Lloris as a key squad member.

In February, he said: "There's a sporting director in Italy, [Pantaleo] Corvino. He says you can make mistakes about your wife but not about the striker or the goalkeeper.

"This is the best quote to understand football, to build a team. We're talking about two important players with good experience [in Lloris and Harry Kane]."

And after Tottenham kept a clean sheet at Watford in January, Conte spoke further about the importance of his captain.

He said: "You can see the level of the keeper in these circumstances.

"When for the whole game he didn't make a save but he continued to be focused. To be focused for the team, for me that's very important.

"When I speak with him and when I speak to the team, the link between the keeper and the team must be very important. It's very important especially when you defend very high with a defensive line.

"The keeper has to follow the game and not only stay on the goal line to make saves. Hugo today showed that he's top and he's always focused."

Looking forward

Tottenham travel to Brighton today in what promises to be a tough encounter.

Despite Graham Potter leaving to manage Chelsea, the Seagulls seem to be in safe hands — new boss Roberto De Zerbi has already instilled some of his possession-based principles on his new squad.

Brighton drew 3-3 against Liverpool in his first match in charge — and it was a thrilling game which showcased early signs that De Zerbi can build on what Potter has started.

The South Coast outfit will be aggressive in their pressing this evening — and Lloris' ability to pass out will once again be tested.

If he can improve that aspect of his game, it will certainly help alleviate Tottenham's woes on the ball.