Tottenham’s August woes are way overblown

There are no shortage of hot takes about the first two matches of Tottenham’s season, but it’s unfair to single them out for a poor start.

Whether it’s Tottenham’s lackluster August form or the Wembley “curse” or the sweet comeuppance of not spending £100 million so far this summer, there is no shortage of narratives to explain Mauricio Pochettino’s struggles.

The media was always going to latch on to Spurs’ story, for two clear reasons.

One, by most any reckoning, Tottenham have overperformed over the last two seasons. First a third place finish in 2015/16, then a second place finish last season, made it impossible for Pochettino to fly under the radar early in the season.

Two, the match against Chelsea on Sunday was the very first big, defining Premier League contest of the season. It was always going to draw a disproportion amount of attention.

Add in the building of a new stadium and only belated activity on the transfer market, and it makes Tottenham’s plight appear especially compelling. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to make a case — especially on the basis of just two matches — that the club is indeed undergoing some regression.

More from Tottenham News

• Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
• Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
• Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
• Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
• Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help

The win over Newcastle came relatively late, and only after a ridiculous red card sent Jonjo Shelvy off the pitch. While it would be fair to say that Rafael Benítez frustrated Spurs that day, it wasn’t so much different than countless other teams who do the same and still ultimately lose to Pochettino’s men.

Even in failure on Sunday it was easy to find plenty of redeeming qualities in Tottenham’s play. The scoreline might have said otherwise, but Chelsea were pushed back and forced into a defensive game for the bulk of the contest.

Harry Kane registered eight shots, while Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembélé held sway over Chelsea’s expensively assembled midfield. Should Hugo Lloris have saved Marcos Alonoso’s shot late in the second half, we might all be somberly accepting that a draw was a fair result.

Now, compare those not-crises with the plight of some of Spurs’ rivals.

Chelsea, of course, suffered humiliation on opening day at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal came close to losing to a rampant Leicester City on the opening match of the season, the proved their doubters right with a loss to Stoke City this past Saturday. Liverpool couldn’t withhold relegation candidates Watford in their opening game, and were surprisingly held by Crystal Palace for most of the match this past weekend.

Even title favorites Manchester City are not without their stumbles. A red card to former Spurs right-back Kyle Walker stifled any plans Pep Guardiola had at overwhelming Everton. They had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home.

None of these failures or disappointments come wrapped in as neat a narrative bow as Tottenham’s struggles however. It will take time for Pochettino to chip away at them — starting with a win over Burnley on Sunday at Wembley — but there might still be a silver lining here.

Next: Tottenham Twitter Tuesday: Club closes in on two signings

Tottenham thrive mostly off of Pochettino’s methods and the ability of its players, but there is something to be said for how easy it is to dismiss them early in the season.

Remember that neither their third and second place campaigns began all that smoothly. Perhaps in some strange way Spurs need to be shrugged off early on for them to eventually sneak back into contention.