Tottenham’s defensive reinforcements sustain Mauricio Pochettino’s vision

Tottenham’s summer signings signal that that the club is ready to see out and sustain Mauricio Pochettino’s plan for years to come.

It can be hard to see beyond the glow of Harry Kane and Dele Alli, but Pochettino’s revolution at Tottenham was always defensive. Any success the club has enjoyed these past two seasons came from the back on up.

Though Spurs were linked to players in virtually every position this summer, it’s telling that in the end Pochettino prioritized bolstering the backline and goalkeeping positions. Only the last-hours signing of Fernando Llorente broke with that trend.

First it was 21-year-old centre-back Davinson Sánchez, who arrived at Spurs for a record fee from Ajax. Then it was experience but still, at 24, youthful goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, followed shortly thereafter by 19-year-old prodigy Juan Foyth. Serge Aurier’s signing from Paris Saint Germain on the final day of the transfer window rounded out the makeover of Spurs’ defensive depth.

Of those new signings, only Aurier is likely to become an automatic starter — and for good reason. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are perhaps the best centre-back pair in the Premier League, while Hugo Lloris’ command of the penalty area is also virtually unmatched.

With that defensive core, Tottenham has conceded the least goals of any Premier League side over the last two seasons. Though that trio aren’t exactly young anymore, they can still be relied upon for the foreseeable future.

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Pochettino will hope that Sánchez and Foyth represent cover right now and, most importantly, continuity in the long term. The pair, along with perhaps Gazzaniga and Aurier, could be the future core of this Tottenham team.

It is tempting to try to find Spurs’ core positions farther up the pitch. After all, Spurs are also responsible for one of the most potent attacks in the Premier League over the last two seasons. Certainly the efforts of Kane, Dele, Christian Eriksen and Heung-min Son could for something.

They absolutely do, but they are not enough to make this Spurs team great on their own. The real value Pochettino added to this team came from the midfield on back.

His first season at the club could have been a disaster. Tottenham leaked goals thanks to a clumsy midfield and a unbalanced backline. Were it not for Kane’s goals and Eriksen’s vision, Daniel Levy might have seen fit to end Pochettino’s reign before it even began.

Moving Eric Dier to a defensive midfield role and adding Alderweireld to the roster were two of the smartest moves made at the club under Pochettino. They tightened Spurs’ grip on the center of the park and added another barrier to those that might slip by Dier.

These changes had a ripple effect on the entire team. Alderweireld brought out the best in his compatriot Vertonghen. Dier’s presence in midfield enabled Mousa Dembélé to be the ever-revolving gyro of the entire team. Both players helped permit more adventurous runs from the full-backs, who in turn added valuable width to assist Kane, Dele and Eriksen through the middle.

Pochettino’s philosophy was always holistic, but in Alderweireld and Dier he found the means to turn it all into reality. They were very much the foundations atop which Tottenham’s success is built.

Victor Wanyama proved an inspired addition last summer, adding depth and a bit more ingenuity to the role Dier carved out in the center of the park. Now, with Sánchez and Foyth, Pochettino hopes that Alderweireld and Vertonghen’s legacy will last longer than their contracts.

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Seen in that light, it makes perfect sense why the club would more enthusiastically break their own transfer record for Sánchez rather than, say, Ross Barkley or Isco. Those players could have had an impact, but to Pochettino solidity is paramount.