Trevor Steven: Where has it gone wrong for stale, predictable Tottenham?
Results are king, so although they weren’t playing well at the start of the season Tottenham’s winning start gave them momentum, culminating in a confidence-boosting 3-0 victory at Manchester United.
Since then Spurs have been found out. They lost to Watford and that put extra pressure on their match with Liverpool on Saturday. Their disjointed performance allowed the visitors to win comfortably.
Then, on Tuesday evening, they had to go to the San Siro, albeit to face an Inter Milan side who hadn’t been playing well. Again Tottenham lacked conviction and lost 2-1, despite being in a winning position.
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It now seems that those good early results disguised the fact that too many of Tottenham’s players aren’t performing at their best.
Suddenly there’s a long list of issues. Key men have only had short summer breaks, a problem compounded by the club’s failure to sign anyone in the transfer window, while the ongoing delays to their new stadium have created a negative distraction.
This isn’t the exciting season of progress that Spurs supporters were probably expecting. Instead it’s all been decidedly average and manager Mauricio Pochettino has been left a bit exposed.
World Cup hangover is no excuse
Harry Kane’s sluggish displays have attracted the headlines but he is by no means the only one and has suffered from changes to the team.
Kane has missed Dele Alli and their interchanging of positions in the last couple of games. Lucas Moura, a ball carrier, is a different type of player to Alli and that has affected the team’s attacking. Unusually, they have become predictable.
Many of Pochettino’s first XI went deep at the World Cup and therefore haven’t had as much rest, although there is a danger that becomes an excuse when things aren’t going right.
Spurs have missed goalkeeper and captain Lloris (Source: Getty)
Off the back of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, I played 49 games the following season for Everton, scoring 15 goals, as we won the league. Back then, we didn’t have the big squads of nowadays.
Players these days have so much in the way of support and physical care around them, it should be achievable for them to stay at a high level.
Of course, if too many players drop just a little you get punished. Then – as Tottenham have – you find yourself under pressure.
Failing to buy was a mistake
There’s still good reason to think Spurs should have strengthened in the summer though, even if their squad is terrific on paper.
In not doing so, they are asking the same players to go again and reach the same high bar they have set for themselves. That is a heavy burden.
You have to freshen things up or it can go stale. Yes, it can backfire, but if you don’t change anything, you don’t give yourself a chance to improve.
Spurs have had other issues to deal with too. Losing Hugo Lloris to injury has been a blow – you’re going to miss your captain and fantastic goalkeeper, especially when he works so well with the defence.
Then this week there has been the debate around Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier missing the Inter match.
Pochettino must decide whether to rest a sluggish Harry Kane (Source: Getty)
Spurs need to forget all that, batten down the hatches, regroup and get to work. They have a good run of games coming up – apart from Barcelona, which they have to forget for now.
Kane could probably do with a minor groin niggle to give him a break but I suspect he’ll want to play on and will see trips to Brighton and Huddersfield as a chance to score a few goals.
Pochettino has a decision to make on his star man – just another thing to add to his list of problems at the moment.