Do Spurs Need More Competition Throughout Squad?
Spurs need depth in their squad, but how about more competition?
There’s a saying: “Competition breeds success.”, in sports this is very true but how much credit should be given for a starter getting better or a backup player forcing coaches to change their starting lineup as soon as possible?
It was apparent last season that Spurs had starters, early in the season, sent to the bench as substitutes or left off of the matchday squad for better players once the season started approaching the halfway point. The simple reason for these incidents were twofold and it involved both the starters and backups.
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Starters like Younès Kaboul, Étienne Capoue, Mousa Dembélé and Emmanuel Adebayor were good early on but as soon as the season continued, their form dipped and it was apparent that they might have been too relaxed. As if their starting jobs would never be in jeopardy — and for the most part this was true.
Secondly, the backups: Eric Dier, Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason and Harry Kane all continued to train hard during the week and when it was their time to get starts in domestic cups and the Europa League, they performed well.
When Harry Kane scored 31 goals in all competitions a season ago, it was obiouvs that he had talent. But outside of that, having Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado behind him, meant that any slip-up might cost Kane his job — even if both Adebayor and Soldado weren’t better than the English striker last season.
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Looking at what Kyle Walker has done this season with Kieran Trippier lurking in the background, the same assumption can be made. Walker is feeling the pressure and injury concerns aside, the 25-year-old is trying to remain as Pochettino’s top choice at the right-back position otherwise it will go to Trippier instead.
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Because there are certain positions right now on the squad that don’t necessarily have any real competition could this hurt the club moving forward outside of needing extra support at striker and defensive midfielder?
Early on, based on how some starters have performed this season, Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembélé, Toby Alderweireld and Hugo Lloris are Spurs’ best players thus far three games into the 2015-16 Premier League season. While Lloris, Alderweireld and Dier are starters at their respective positions, it’s due to Mauricio Pochettino not having players who could compete with them regularly during training sessions.
Instead, Dembélé and more so Walker, are doing their best to remain starters.
Mousa Dembélé has already experienced the bench and substitution appearances last season. For Kyle Walker, he’s dealt with injuries but is trying to prove that he’s Spurs’ best right-back, by having Kieran Trippier be nothing more than a backup option as long as his form is good. These are instances where competition is clearly working but how about elsewhere at Hotspur Way?
Throughout the current squad, Clinton N’Jie is adapting to Pochettino’s style of play; could he push Nacer Chadli out of the starting eleven? Who could compete with Érik Lamela but also become the new right midfielder/winger? Harry Kane is a marked man, but does having no real threat at backup make him less hungry this year than last season? Finally, is Ryan Mason the new partner for Eric Dier or is that still Nabil Bentaleb’s spot to lose once his form comes back?
It’s too early to tell, but so far competition has worked at some positions, others, not so much just yet. If signings will come later, that could help. If not, then it will have to fall on the current youth players to force the starters out of their comfort zones and fight for their place in the starting eleven. Competition breeds success.
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