Tottenham Hotspur’s three New Year’s Resolutions

It’s been a fairly arduous, painstaking year for Tottenham Hotspur, who look forward to a much more prosperous, accomplished 2021. 

Three main New Year’s resolutions are on Tottenham’s agenda come the turn of midnight this evening.

Tottenham’s quest to win a trophy

First we’ll discuss the gargantuan elephant in the room: Tottenham’s number one priority, the reason they went all in on landing Jose Mourinho; the club’s quest to end a 12-year barren stretch without a trophy.

At this stage it doesn’t really matter which trophy Spurs win. Getting the giant monkey off their back is the club’s focus.

While the Carabao Cup is historically undervalued and considered by players and coaches as the least important piece of silverware, it’s Spurs most likely road to a trophy, and it would mean everything to the north London side.

It would inject a winning mentality, a new-found confidence, providing a platform to go on and win more meaningful trophies a team of Spurs’ caliber should be in the running for year in and year out.

It would be considered an unmitigated catastrophe if Mourinho doesn’t win a trophy at Spurs. He was acquired not because of his propensity to play elegant, enterprising football, but for his winning pedigree. He must now, in 2021, put his money where his mouth is.

More balanced scoring

Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have scored 20 of Tottenham’s 26 Premier League goals so far this campaign. While it’s brilliant to see the dynamic duo combining with aplomb, Tottenham need more offensive contribution from the midfield, specifically from the likes of Erik Lamela, the injury-riddled Gareth Bale, Giovanni Lo Celso and Steven Bergwijn.

For Spurs to win a trophy, particularly the most coveted, elusive Premier League title, they must find a more balanced scoring threat. The supporting cast has the talent to chip in more goals. However, their success or failure in large part depends on whether Mourinho allows them off their short leashes.

Find a killer instinct

Tottenham need to find a way to put teams to bed. Often leading by a goal, Tottenham repeatedly spurn leads due to their lack of killer instinct.

When leading, Tottenham sit back and try too regularly to absorb the pressure, hoping for a swift and lethal counter attack that rarely manifests at opportune times.

Tottenham has one of the best counter attacking sides in world football, but it loses its efficacy when you rely on it unrelentingly. Without mixing it up, applying pressure, holding on to the football for large periods, a once lethal counter attack can become benign and frustratingly limp.