Many fans will be pondering: “What do Spurs need for success?” after a lacklustre and uninspiring scoreless draw to Burnley, followed by a miserable defeat to Aston Villa. Spurs now seem destined to miss the hallowed fourth spot, so all eyes turn to next season.
It’s possible to name the Tottenham players of Champions League quality on one hand. It’s probably not a surprise, as without Champions League football it becomes a lot harder to attract big names. If Spurs want to succeed, then more quality and experience is needed. Looking back on the awful results at Burnley and Villa, they are no longer surprising when it is considered that there was no player with over 65 appearances in the Premier League featuring for Spurs in either game. Amongst those relatively inexperienced players, the majority of them made their first team debuts in the Premier league only two or at the most three seasons ago. The squad is incredibly young at Spurs. There need to be some older, more seasoned players added to the squad in the summer.
The goalkeeper position is probably the only one that doesn’t need much improvement, only dogged determination to keep Hugo Lloris in the summer. On the other hand, the defence in front of him unquestionably needs some adjustment. Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose and Ben Davies have been solid, whilst Federico Fazio, Younes Kaboul and Vlad Chiriches have been, quite frankly, woeful. Kyle Walker has had good and bad games after returning from a long-term injury and Eric Dier is still only 21 and too has had a mixture of performances. It’s far too early to pass judgement on DeAndre Yedlin, who may just be what Spurs are looking for when he develops into the future. This is Spurs’ weakest position, just after the midfield.
In the centre of midfield, Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb form a solid partnership for the future but pale in comparison to the best midfielders in the Premier League in age and experience alone. Spurs should have kept Sandro and sold Paulinho because a specialised ‘destroyer’ is what Spurs could really utilise rather than a spineless and passive player who does little to influence the game. Christian Eriksen has been sensational and dismal throughout the season, but as the saying goes “Form is temporary, class is permanent”. Eriksen would definitely benefit from a few equally classy players around him. Meanwhile, on the wings, Spurs have struggled. No player has really stood out. If anything, Danny Rose has been Spurs’ best winger this season, providing the most width and often proving to be the most dangerous player. This is yet another position that potentially needs strengthening.
Up front, there is only one man worthy of a mention, Harry Kane. Even he has appeared to lose steam recently, but only through a lack of service in otherwise scrappy and poor games. He needs support though. Roberto Soldado hasn’t cut it, nor has Emmanuel Adebayor who has been frozen out of the squad by Pochettino. Both need to be offloaded and replaced with experienced, proven strikers as Spurs really shouldn’t be putting all their faith in a 21-year-old who has only just emerged onto the scene. Even if the pressure isn’t overwhelming him, Spurs need a backup striker to rotate and preserve this young talent.
In short, it’s looking like an astonishingly busy summer for Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy, one that will probably extend into next year’s January transfer window too. Levy must invest in Pochettino and buy the exact players he demands. Otherwise, a repeat of the Gareth Bale transfer money saga will commence. This simply cannot happen. The negative spiral must stop. What do Spurs really need for success? They need to hold onto a manager for at least three seasons with full financial backing of the chairman.
