Be careful what you wish for at Tottenham Hotspur

Defence not good enough to support expansive attack

For Bale, Son, Kane and Alli to succeed in the same starting team, Spurs require balance in defence. Mason needs to see stability, reliability and competence from his five defensive players. That did not happen, nor has it for most of the season.

Serge Aurier was absolutely horrendous in every respect. Consistently out of position, Aurier couldn’t defend crosses and was indirectly at fault for two of Leeds three goals. Sergio Reguilon wasn’t much better and nor was Eric Dier, who has been Tottenham’s biggest liability this season.

Toby Alderweireld was the best of an incompetent bunch, while even Pierre Hojberg, who Tottenham have come to rely upon as a perpetually stabilizing force, endured an underwhelming afternoon of football.

There is no way Tottenham can afford to have an expansive offensive lineup in the aforementioned foursome if they cannot rely upon their defensive five to do the business.

Which is why, whether we like to admit it, Tottenham are at the beginning of a necessary rebuild. Spurs are defensively inferior, even inept at various positions. Aurier is, and has been, a disaster waiting to happen while Reguilon, who enjoyed a great first half of the campaign, has endured a miserable spell.

Dier is slow, cumbersome and statuesque, always liable to commit a grave error. And Toby, bless his heart, is aging, which comes with an unavoidable and untenable deterioration of every physical quality.

Matthew Doherty has shown he’s not at an elite level and we all know what we get with Ben Davies. Davinson Sanchez is an erratic mess while Joe Rodon oozes optimism. If that doesn’t constitute a rebuild I don’t know what does.

For Tottenham’s dynamic quartet to thrive, Spurs need a complete defensive overhaul to take place promptly.

The questions are whether Kane has the patience to ride it out; whether Tottenham will want to dish out £200,000 a week on Bale during a rebuild; and finally, whether Dele wants to remain in Tottenham after an elongated and devastating regression.