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?
Tottenham’s Known Names
There are 11 starting places for every match and frankly four of those eleven are already taken for any game or real importance for Tottenham. Son Heung-Min, Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg are the only four nailed on starters in the squad. Every other position is open to who is playing the best at that time. This is not to say Kane or Son will not ever sit, Kane did this past week; however, when push comes to shove these will be the first four names on the team sheet pretty much every time for Spurs.
The fact of the matter is, Kane and Son are nearly un-droppable right now and frankly no one else on the team can do with Højbjerg does – which is why Mourinho went out and signed him. Joe Hart has played well too, but he is just not at the level of Hugo Lloris, as the club captain is still one of the world’s best in goal.
Barring injury or games where Jose can get away with it, these four will start and there is little conversation about it, as the difference between these four and their competition within the team are just too vast to say their places are at stake. However, with the seven other positions on the pitch, it is about who is playing the best and who is healthiest that may determine who becomes the top player at each position, or we may just see a rotation the entire season. So, what is the deal with these other seven positions on the pitch?
Deciding the Tottenham Defense
Striker, left wing, defensive midfield, and keeper; four positions where all the starters are known for Tottenham Hotspur. We can conjecture about who might start and of course we do every match with our projected XIs, but those four are the knowns. That leaves the entire back line, most of the midfield and one wing wide open for the taking. So, what is the low down on these positions and who has the inside track.
Fullback Positions
Tottenham now have four full internationals playing at their two fullback positions. Serge Aurier – who is captain for Ivory Coast – and newly signed Matt Doherty have the responsibility for the right. Aurier is the pacier and more dynamic of the two, while Doherty is more consistent and steadier. Both can provide a nice cross and Aurier has demonstrated an eye for goal over the last couple seasons.
Which plays can depend on many things such as who is on the opposition, who is playing center half with them, and even who played last. One thing is for certain, Jose Mourinho had already gotten Aurier’s game to the next level simply by being Jose as many of the dumb fouls disappeared last season.
Now with competition from Ireland’s starting right back in Doherty – who was excellent against LASK – Aurier has lifted his game even more. Expect Aurier and Doherty – barring injury – to rotate all season as they both have a lot to bring and seem to bring out the best in each other. On the left side, the battle may not be quite as even.
At left back Ben Davies is the returning starter. We have already seen with Danny Rose if you are not interested in competing and sharing time you will be left behind; so, Sergio Reguilón has come in and hit the ground running. The young Spaniard – who just got his first senior caps at the last international break – is the more natural attacker of the two. Reguilón just looks the part of a modern wingback as you seem him gliding up and down the sideline.
Ben Davies – who has featured for Wales for eight years – is your more classic fullback, who gets the job done as much with positional awareness and football acumen as he does with skill. Davies can do a job going forward, but his overall offensive skillset is not at the level of Reguilón. Expect to see more and more of Sergio as the season continues, particularly in games where Spurs need to attack more than defend. Davies has his role and will get his minutes, and some may even come at center-half, but ultimately Mourinho brought Reguilón in from Real Madrid to win the job and thus far it looks like it will happen.
Center Half
The center half position is an interesting one at Spurs as there are really five players – not including Ben Davies – vying for two positions. There is only one new player in the mix with Joe Rodon – who is not eligible for Europa League – but with injuries and other limitations, this position is still in flux. The reality is that for four if not all five of the defenders – I have not seen enough of Rodon yet to say – their best position is the right sided center half position.
This is where things start to get interesting as it is often multiple players competing for the one spot rather than the two. Eric Dier was the starting left-sided center half, almost by default, to begin the season, but injuries derailed that train. Davinson Sanchez has tried the position and clearly is better on the right side.
Toby Alderweireld can play the left well but seems to prefer the right based on how seldom we see him play on the left. This leaves Tanganga and Rodon. Japhet Tanganga has been injured all season and who knows when we will see him. Then Joe Rodon is new but is untested at this level of competition coming to Spurs from Swansea in the Championship.
Who ultimately wins out from this group is hard to say? Dier’s background playing in Portugal clearly endears him to Jose Mourinho. Alderweireld is still probably the best defender of the group, but he also probably has the most physical limitations. Davinson Sanchez is the most powerful and athletic of the bunch, but he also can lack focus and commit silly fouls.
Tanganga looked to potentially have an inside track on a lot of minutes given his versatility across the backline, but he cannot even get on the practice pitch, let alone on the field right now. This again brings us back to Rodon, who has yet to play. So, when we say the position is up for grabs, it truly is. For the sake of consistency and success, we need to hope a couple players step up and grab those spots, like Højbjerg did in the midfield.
The Mish Mash Midfield of Tottenham
Tottenham have three total midfield spots, whether they are playing a flat three, a triangle with one at the base and two in attack, or the preferred triangle with two at the base and one in attack, there are only three midfield spots for Tottenham. We have already established one of those three midfield spots is unquestionably taken by Pierre Højbjerg.
This leaves two midfield places and seven different players competing for them not including Højbjerg but including Gedson Fernandes – who is not part of the Europa League squad. Given Tottenham most often play with two holding midfielders and one attacker supporting the front three, that further divides the midfield unit.
Spurs Holding Midfielders
As midfielders I am sure all seven of them can play in a holding role like Højbjerg does, but it is usually only one of two players who line-up next to Højbjerg, either Moussa Sissoko or Harry Winks. Each player brings something different, but either way it compliments the all-around game of Højbjerg that is built on stout defending.
Sissoko brings more box-to-box athleticism and can at times be dynamic on the counterattack. An always willing defender, Sissoko is more about effort than anything else, which is one thing that has endeared him to both fans and the coaches. Winks is more about steadiness in terms of his ability to handle the ball under pressure and pass his way out of trouble. Of the two Sissoko has been playing better, but we should not count out Harry Winks yet, although if his confidence does not improve soon his opportunities may become more limited.
Spurs Attacking Midfielders
On the attacking side of midfield, things get crowded as you have four players, Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso, and Erik Lamela all competing for the coveted number 10 role sitting behind Harry Kane. While Dele, Lo Celso, and Ndombele can all play in a holding role, it is obvious they are all better players further forward. Lamela can also play as a striker or winger so he has options as well, but in reality, the player who is one form is going to be the one of the four to play meaning some big names will be on the bench and completely left out nearly every Premier League match, as Jose cannot afford to have all four involved as he would be short elsewhere.
The competition for this position is going to be the most interesting on the team. We might want to also remember if none of them really work out great and Vinicius starts to hit his stride, Harry Kane maybe is the best #10 on the team and could kick all four to the curb. And as for Gedson, he is a man without a position, which may soon make him a man back in Portugal as he is not currently good enough to compete with any of the players just discussed; meaning his loan is likely to end sooner than later.
Tottenham Attack
With the four given positions and the positions on defense and midfield covered, there is only one position left up for grabs, which is right wing. Son is nailed on the left and Steven Bergwijn seems an adequate substitute and occasional spot starter. While Bergwijn can play anywhere across the front three or in the 10 hole, left wing seems to be his best position. The same is true for Jack Clarke, who did play this past week, but is a way off from competing for a starting slot.
Kane does have some company now with Carlos Vinicius. Getting his first appearance and start against LASK, Vinicius did well and showed he can be a contributor for Tottenham this season. However, barring injury, Vinicius has a long, long way to go to unseat Kane, just like Bergwijn does with Son.
Spurs Right Wing
This leaves right wing, where the incumbent is Lucas Moura who is truly a Mourinho favorite. Moura is the only player for Tottenham to appear in all 10 games thus far in the 2020-21 season and he too has taken his game to a new level since Mourinho arrived. Previously known only for speed and dribbling, Moura has added some real sting defensively to his game and it shows.
However, as much as Mourinho likes Moura and as much as he has improved, his competition – once fully fit – is the most likely Tottenham player to become the fifth nailed on starter. Gareth Bale was not brought back Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Real Madrid to watch a bunch of games from the sidelines.
Bale was not brought back to Tottenham to make cameos and start in Europa League and the Cups. Gareth Bale was brought back to help Tottenham win the Premier League and once healthy and fit, it does look like Bale still has some of the skills and ability that made him so special for Spurs so long ago and for Real Madrid in the recent past.
The idea is not to go on about Bale here, we all know what he is capable of and we all know it is more than Moura can, giving the Welsh winger the edge in the competition. We will still see a lot of Lucas Moura, maybe even every game, but in terms of the big minutes and big starts, barring injury Bale will ultimately be that guy.
There we have it, Tottenham have four positions with extremely limited competition and possibly a fifth on the way. However, outside of the front line, Hugo, and Højbjerg, who is playing, how much, and when for Tottenham remains to be seen. What we do know is there will be a lot of competition and competition tends to bring out the best in people, let us see if that brings Tottenham a trophy back to N17.