Competition for Places About to Heat up at Tottenham Hotspur

Jose Mourinho’s first step was to get two Premier League quality players at each position now they get to compete for time in the Tottenham Hotspur squad.

The best teams in the world are built on competition, that is competition against opponents and often competition within one’s team as the pressure of losing a job can often get the best out of someone. As Jose Mourinho has worked to remake the Tottenham Hotspur squad, there is a clear focus on competition for places; competition that is about to heat up at N17.

The people that are the best in the world at something are often very driven and that drive often is manifested in competition. Michael Jordan was renowned for the fact that he competed at everything, whether it was basketball, golf, cards, or fishing; Jordan wanted to be the best at whatever game he happened to be playing at that time. The same is true of many of the world’s greats, that desire to be the best is what pushed them to become the best.

At Tottenham Hotspur, Jose Mourinho inherited a team he like to call ‘nice guys’ and many of the players did not have to compete for playing time. While Harry Kane has continued to push himself and improve despite no one breathing down his shoulder the same really cannot be said for some Spurs like Dele Alli, who clearly regressed over the last few seasons.

That regression comes from complacency, a complacency built on the fact that his place in the squad was assured without question. Today, Dele is now fighting and competing to get time in Europa League, no longer is he guaranteed playing time because he is Dele. Do you think we get better performances moving forward? I sure do.

However, this is not about just Dele, it is about the entire team and Jose Mourinho’s desire to have quality and depth at every position. Now that he seemingly has that, where are the most likely battles for playing time and who maybe has a place secured?