Spurs Gut Reaction Rant: Draw versus Stoke
Spurs home opener starts strong, ends wrong.
For the second consecutive game, Spurs were able to dominate early twenty minutes in and were rewarded with a goal by Eric Dier in the 19th minute. For the next twenty-six minutes, Tottenham and Stoke City were trading a few shots here and there. But for the most part, the first half was all Spurs.
To end the first half with a second goal by Nacer Chadli was great.
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Beginning the second half it looked as if the game started evening out. Around the 63rd minute, Harry Kane would be subbed off. An early substitution for sure, but it was a smart move despite the outcome of the game. There’s no current backup striker and he left the pitch with a slight knock — a calf injury perhaps. Kane’s minutes needs to be monitored because of this.
Does Mauricio Pochettino need to sign another striker to backup Harry Kane?
Yes, of course, that’s very obvious. What isn’t obvious for some — maybe everyone if we’re being honest — is how Spurs’ transfer window has gone since the summer of 2013. Daniel Levy and Franco Baldini spent most, if not all, of the Gareth Bale money. But now that Mauricio Pochettino and Paul Mitchell have come over, money is being used wisely. How is this hard to understand?
The most expensive player from Tottenham’s entire 2014-15 season was Federico Fazio at £8 million who’s a center-back. On offense Spurs only signed Dele Alli for £5 million. This summer, their biggest signing was Toby Alderweireld at £11.5 million, another defender. Now Clinton N’Jie, a striker/winger, at £12 million is the most expensive signing this season.
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All in all, no player was signed for more than £15 million since Pochettino and Mitchell arrived. This will be the current trend — looking for future stars at a reasonable price than established stars at a high price. It’s not cheap, it’s smart.
Saido Berahino would cost £20-25 million, nearly double of want Levy wants to pay.
Finding one reason why Spurs happened to draw this game isn’t simple. There is a myriad of reasons why Tottenham conceded two late goals. Let’s start with the first reason. The defense has improved, but Tottenham only has one clean sheet at home dating back to last season. Mame Diouf was close to equalizing twice and on both occasions Hugo Lloris saved his shot. It was only a matter of time.
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While Nacer Chadli isn’t a striker, he can play the position — not well but in a pinch to close out a game if need be. This was that kind of moment and it didn’t work unfortunately.
Subbing in Nabil Bentaleb for Ryan Mason isn’t a head scratcher. It was a like-for-like move as they both played in the double pivot last year. The main difference is that Bentaleb is currently in a slump. Only two games have been played so Spurs shouldn’t give up on him, this kid is 20-years-old.
Spurs are currently sitting at 13th place in two games with a 0W-1D-1L record. The season isn’t over, and Tottenham can still climb back up the table.
Next: Tottenham Matchday: Stoke City at Home
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