Are Tottenham really in crisis or is it just a glitch in the matrix
Poet Samuel Coleridge coined the term “suspension of disbelief” centuries ago which means ignoring the real and believing the surreal. Tottenham personified that phrase last term but now that Spurs, their fans and critics have snapped out of it, are they in crisis?? Or is it just growing pains??
Ask anyone who would reach the 2019 Champions League semi-finals and you’ll find that the usual suspects making the final cut. The Barcelonas, Liverpools and the Manchester Citys of the world but what about Ajax and Tottenham? And yet that's exactly what those two did and few fans would have predicted that, let alone have them as one of the top contenders for Europe's biggest crown. But they did that and while pages and pages have been written about the Dutch, it’s Tottenham that will dominate the next 1200 words. The same North London club who somehow conned their way into the Champions League final without spending a single penny.
But Spurs’ run to that elusive final in Madrid defied history and suspended disbelief. Their run to the final alone had many gasping for air and shell-shocked. How was it possible that a team that had lived with a self-imposed ban, sold their best player, suffered a horrible home defeat to a gorgeous Ajax and survived THAT City game even had the chance of achieving the greatest honour in club football. Everything reeked of impossibility and yet it happened! Despite all their issues defensively - their lack of success on the road and their issues with player contract - Tottenham reached the finals. But now it has all unravelled like a kitten with a ball of wool. Now everything that ever went bad in 2019 has been put on show for the entire world to see.
No wonder a walk down memory lane feels a little dangerous and maybe even scary. Especially with what has happened since. That since includes a media portrayed disaster-class of a start to the season and yet it really isn’t. It’s a bad start but it’s not as bad as Watford, Manchester United or even Everton. Barring the first name, the other two were considered to be top-six contenders at the very least. And that proves that things for Spurs have certainly been bad, but it’s been solvable bad. And to solve their problems by bringing in Jose Mourinho is as ridiculous as Manchester United getting relegated.
Sticking with Mauricio Pochettino is the answer and not just because of what he has done for them. The past is the past but while Pochettino had transformed them into a genuine contender for titles and trophies, before the first 11 games of this season, he is the man to solve their issues. That doesn’t mean that the Argentine is blameless. The man is far from blameless and it’s ripe with examples that prove just that brilliantly. His tactics against Brighton were bad, against Colchester United were even worse and let us shelf that Christian Eriksen issue.
Giovani Lo Celso, before his injury, Harry Winks, and Lucas Moura should all be playing more football. The 4-4-2 diamond, as Moussa Sissoko aptly pointed out, needs to be scrapped for something that works or Spurs need to bring in the right personnel to help it work. Selling Kieran Trippier, while he may have been a part of a spring clean, without a replacement was a bad decision. Because it’s now a glaring weak spot that teams target and waltz through towards a hapless Hugo Lloris. It was a marriage bound to fail and it is one that has, albeit not spectacularly, but just enough to warrant media concern.
Yet, Tottenham are not broken. They're certainly inching closer and closer towards that status but they have the willpower to hang in there and power through this bad run of form. And the players, that goes without saying, while they may be stuck in a rut at the moment they have the players to get them out of it. They have a world-class manager, Arsenal fans may disagree, but in Pochettino, Tottenham have maybe their one chance to build something and do it well. The Argentine has done exceptionally well with a club that never even imagined finishing consistently in a Champions League spot, let alone reaching a Champions League final.
That’s just how much he has changed the club, so much so that what was once considered to be a success is now a failure. It’s also why he is the man to move them forward and create the one thing Spurs have lacked. A dynasty and this is a rare chance. It’s hard, there is no question about that, better sides have tried and failed spectacularly, but Tottenham are in a perfect storm. When he first took over, Spurs had one of the lowest averages ages in the Premier League. A proper example would be their squad in the North London derby in February of 2015.
The average age was a young 23.6, the youngest of any Premier League side that season. This season their average age has shot up, naturally, to 27 years. It’s a stunning change and one that begs for change. It has to be done graciously and as Eni Aluko put it “This run of results show that Spurs would have been better off making significant changes in the summer.” They didn’t do that and it’s fine because they, atleast, started the process. Four new additions and all four are younger than the current undroppable eleven which shows that change is brewing.
However, they need to segue into it a little more subtlety. Tottenham had a host of examples all around them on how to do it, including their eternal rivals in Arsenal. That is an Arsenal side pre-2006 where that brilliantly transitioned from one era to another, winning trophies and challenging the best. Then there’s Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson who was the epitome of knowing when to sell and when to buy. In fact, it’s Ferguson himself who said that any good side needs to refresh their team every four years.
It worked for him and millions before and after him, Liverpool between 1975-1990 Real Madrid between 1955-1970, Juventus after 2010, and it’s just what Tottenham need to follow. Otherwise, what is the use of having all the Harry Kanes, Christian Eriksens, Dele Allis, Son Heung-Mins of the world if you cannot achieve long-term success? Those are players that deserve to play football at the highest level and it’s why Spurs need to pull up their socks. They’re a top-six and probably even a top four side and it’s high time that they start acting like that. Otherwise, and it’s true, Tottenham will lose the best chance they ever had of ending their infamous moniker of being “bottlers”.
It’s there for a reason but with the manager they have and the sheer talent in this squad, it’s shocking. There are other issues within the team and that may just be cause for concern and it’s not just the contract issues. Their tactics have clearly changed over the last few years as one of Marcelo Bielsa’s most successful disciple tries to find a way to win the title. OR atleast that’s what it looks like, with the lack of pressing and a more long-term possession-based style. Because the Spurs of the recent past struggled post-March and even February to maintain a title charge.
That was partly down to their lack of stamina and it led to them often looking lost and lackadaisical as they struggled to keep up. The 2015/16 season proved that quite nicely so did the 2016/17 and the 2018/19, where they opted to focus on the Champions League and reached the finals, and maybe a change is brewing. But even if the change is a slow burner, one thing is crystal clear. Spurs have a blueprint to lead them to success and now all they have to do is use it and do it over a long term. Because if Tottenham have showcased one thing this season it's that Mauricio Pochettino has had them punching well above their weight. And to keep that going, without any refresh may prove to be their downfall.
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