Frank didn’t avoid inverted full backs because he’s some football purist, he did it because his system was heavily wing oriented and very predictable in possession which then eventually got figured out. The reality is most top sides now use at least one inverted full back in build up and that’s not a Spurs specific thing, it’s basically just where modern football has gone.
As for Porro coming inside, we build in a 3-2-5 shape with VDV, Danso and Palhinha forming the back three, Porro and Bentancur operate as the pivots. That structure improves our ball progression and gets Porro involved centrally in more dangerous areas - that’s far more effective than pinning him wide where he mainly ends up spamming low percentage crosses and h also doesn’t really have the explosiveness or acceleration to consistently beat players on the outside like a natural winger anyway.
I don't get where the LB fits into that set up, it also seems like Muani is going to be coming deep because there's nobody positioned between our byline and Muani on the right flank.
Anyway lets suppose Porro gets the ball to one of our wide forwards, aren't we now just doing the Thomas Frank wing play?
Surely if the ball goes from Porro to Richarlison one of the two wide players is going to need to become available by moving closer to him and finding space, otherwise it's going to be Richarlison vs two CBs, and Gallagher is going to be tracked in midfield.
I've noticed quite a few of our goals have been from the ball ping ponging about in the opposition area where they failed to clear it, and it's eventually fallen to Palhinha, Gallagher, or whoever, there hasn't been many decisive goals where Porro has picked out a wide player from his inverted position, that wide player has done a defender, passed and the CF scores a smacker!!
So I'm unsure that the set up of the team is responsible for the recent uptick in form, rather it could be De Zerbi making the team motivated to chase everything down, even if it seems a lost cause.
I remember the England team with the Beckham long pass to Owen routine, it's what they set out to do, and they did it, if we're setting out to get Porro to feed the wide forwards and for them to feed the CF, we're not doing it.
