Recapping Tottenham’s season so far and looking forward.
Torture.
One word felt by many fans of Tottenham Hotspur early in the season.
As it is every year, this early in the campaign, with about 1/16th of the season gone, you get the feeling that the top four is still within reach for Tottenham despite their slow start. You feel as though Chelsea, defending champions, are bound to lay an egg this season and with two early losses, perhaps it’s happening already.
For both Manchester clubs, Man City have yet to concede a goal and look ready to win a treble at their current form, whereas Man United will either make it to the top four or miss out completely. Over on the red half of North London, Arsenal will remain stagnant, which isn’t bad, but finishing third or fourth is a step backwards.
With regards to Liverpool, they will keep afloat around the top seven, just like Tottenham has for the past few seasons. These top six clubs will always remain the same, but their positions obviously change yearly. For Tottenham, you get the sense of hope, but with that hope, you relinquish torture — torture that after a while, eventually starts to feel good; accepted by everyone as a rallying cry.
Next: Tottenham Are a Good Club But Help is Still Needed
Tottenham Are a Good Club But Help is Still Needed
Mauricio Pochettino and his north London outfit seem to be holding a high regard to their three points. Three points earned in four games in which Spurs were considered to be the better side each time. One game headlined by a “blunder”, two games chalked up as “That’s so Spursy” and the final game, well, “torture”.
The thought of Ross Barkley sending a strike, slicing away from a flailing Lloris, hitting the back of the net, or perhaps even a wide-open Harry Kane having no clue on what to do with a charging Tim Howard, all equates to proud feelings of joy quickly resulting in frustration within a matter of seconds.
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And now with the dreaded international break ahead, we wait as the transfer window comes to a close. Mauricio Pochettino continues to admit (not verbatim), that his club must make another addition or two. Ideally, a striker to help backup Harry Kane, but also some insurance in the backend of central defense.
Seeing as how he fits the bill, Saido Berahino would make the most sense. Not only is he young and English, but Berahino has the quality to score goals in the Premier League (14 league goals and 20 goals in all competitions last year). For £25 million they could have signed Christian Benteke in 2013, could this be that same case this year? Of course there are other options, but considering Berahino’s experience with Kane under Gareth Southgate’s U-21 England side, this seems to make the most sense, hence the constant transfer rumors.
Next: Tottenham's Youths Shows Off
Tottenham’s Youths Shows Off
Regardless of claiming their first clean sheet of the new campaign last week, many still believe another piece is needed to help reassure the already competitive central defense. Eric Dier continues to get his feet wet in a position he was already somewhat familiar with from his time playing in Portugal, while Ryan Mason hasn’t figured out how to finish and yet could make his own case as being Spurs’ most influential player up to this point, four games into the season.
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Nabil Bentaleb meanwhile looks to earn his way out of the Argentine’s doghouse having made his first start since week one, putting in a very impressive performance after inking a new five-year deal over the summer. You also have 19-year-old Dele Alli, who unlike Bentaleb and Dier, looks to get forward, finding space in attack similar to that of Ryan Mason. At the very least, with the squad rotation of the four mentioned above just might suffice all things considered, at least until the next transfer window reopens and Spurs are looking for more reinforcements.
Next: Defensive Midfield Transfer Rumors
Defensive Midfield Transfer Rumors
Sven Bender’s name has been thrown around before, but new manager Thomas Tuchel seems keen to keep him around as surplus from the Klopp regime. Victor Wanyama, admittingly, wants to make the move to North London and reunite with his former manager, but is having trouble breaking away from the mitts of Ronald Koeman, who insists that no player is for sale a la Morgan Schneiderlin.
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One name I would love to see worked in with all this speculation is Alex Song. Sure, his form fell off after Boxing Day last year, along with the rest of West Ham, but the thought of Song crossing the divide and playing for Tottenham spices things up just a bit in North London. Continuing to be marginalized in Barcelona, his experience would be vital to the youth movement that Pochettino is incorporating.
Next: Competition Throughout England and Europe
Competition Throughout England and Europe
With the competitive landscape of the Premier League at an all time high, teams like Swansea, Crystal Palace, West Ham, etc., it’s easy to say that week in and week out, nothing is for certain. You throw in the tough group stage that is the Europa League and it hits you, that quality of depth is something that should be advised, considering that clubs are trying to push for a top four finish as well.
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When you factor in that the winner of the competition subsequently qualifies for Champions League automatically, it’s wise to compete both domestically and in Europe to maximize your chances of reaching the Champions League. Regarding the UEFA coefficient ranking, Spurs are currently ranked third among the other Europa League outfits. Because of this, Spurs got put in a tough group stage, but hey, what are you going to do since it’s a random draw to begin with.
Nonetheless, as little as the ranking means on paper, or to the general public even, that is how the union views them. It’s not the class or tier that many of us would of hoped for by now, but still, it is respectable and deserved.
Next: A Look Ahead to the Future
A Look Ahead to the Future
As mentioned earlier, competition in the Premier League is at an all time high.
With new TV deals in place, more teams are able to afford the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Georginio Wijnaldum, as well as former Marseille men, Dmitri Payet and André Ayew. Among others to come this summer, the influx of European quality in the Premier League hasn’t changed; it’s where those players choose to go to.
The prospect for many clubs is looking bright.
Starting next season, West Ham will call Olympic Stadium their home after successfully outbidding Daniel Levy. Might the Hammers be the team up next, challenging for a top six finish within a few years?
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Spurs, thanks in large part to the revelation that was and is Gareth Bale, as well as being based in London, continue to be labeled as a future big club.
Instead of waiting for the new stadium to be built, Spurs must take action and start playing like such now before it’s too late.
There’s no reason why Pochettino’s side should not contend for the Europa League title, let alone a top four finish. With plenty of fixtures to come, players will get their chance to play and ultimately show there worth, not only to Mauricio Pochettino but the entire world.
It’s still early, and despite being 16th on the table, that won’t last much longer. Of course for Spurs to get out of the bottom and climb back up the table, they will need to make sure they don’t falter come March. Otherwise it will be a repeat of last season — when Spurs missed out on the top four by a mere six points.
Only one word can describe Tottenham’s seasons over these past few years.
Torture.
Next: Could Charlie Austin to Tottenham Still Happen?
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