A look ahead to the summer and beyond...
Why a ruthless summer is needed at Tottenham, regardless of how the season plays out…
For Tottenham fans, this season has been hugely frustrating so far, with the team not making the levels of progress that had been initially hoped.
It was perfectly reflected by the build-up to the recent North London derby defeat away from home. A series of fantastic performances leading up to the trip to Arsenal meant confidence was high. Gareth Bale was flying, Harry Kane is Harry Kane. We should have been able to really take it to an opposition that is in mid-table. Instead, we reverted to type. Defensive, boring, losing. Two steps forwards, one back.
As a result, Spurs are now 6/1 in the English Premier League top 4 finish odds, which suggests, as we all know, it’s highly unlikely to happen, considering the end of the campaign is approaching. The Europa League does at least offer another route back to the Champions League, but that’s going to be a tough ask too.
Failure to return to Europe’s top table will mean serious questions need to be asked. Jose Mourinho was appointed to take the team back to that level, whilst delivering trophies along the way. In fairness, silverware could arrive in the form of the League Cup, although there won’t be many expecting Spurs to beat Manchester City at Wembley in late April.
However, even winning that would just paper over the cracks. The reality is that Spurs needs a major overhaul in the summer, whether that’s players or staff.
Sections of the support would sack Mourinho tomorrow if they could. And, you can understand why. The football is poor in the big games, he has alienated key men at certain times, and the patterns of play are missing in the final third.
Realistically, though, with two years to go on a hefty contract, Daniel Levy isn’t going to pay the Portuguese boss off. So, if he stays, it’s about backing Mourinho properly.
That means finding the money for at least one top centre-back, which the side clearly lacks. It means shipping off those that aren’t good enough, even if, like Matt Doherty, they only signed last summer.
For too long, Spurs haven’t thought or acted like a big club. Yet, the brilliance of Mauricio Pochettino would mean that any issues were largely forgotten about. That’s no longer the case since the popular Argentinian was dismissed in 2019.
Despite the pessimistic outlook, there are reasons to be positive. We still have the best striker in the league, we still have Son Heung-Min, and the likes of Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele are also brilliant footballers. Others in the squad have also done well. So, the base for sustained success is certainly there.
However, Spurs can’t keep being so inconsistent. You will be high and dreaming of success for a few weeks, before a disastrous performance will bring you back down to earth with a bang.
As is often the case, the reality is probably somewhere in between. Spurs are a good team, but with glaring issues that prevent them from competing with the best.
Regardless of what happens in the coming months, the summer is the time to address those problems. Ruthless, brave decisions need to be made, whether that’s from Levy or Mourinho.
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