Plugging the holes at the back

Article by Michael Halepas

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With the closing weekend of the 2013/14 season upon us, talk will soon move on to which players Spurs could do with jettisoning and which others are available, willing and able to join the club and assist in the struggle to lift THFC to the next level of elite football.

The time when a full evaluation of the season can be conducted is after match day 38. These last few days before the close of the league season mark the relative quiet before the storm that is the media frenzy to follow. While the present league campaign is not quite concluded, absent any superhero efforts against Villa – it’s not impossible to carry out a fair assessment of the team’s efforts in 2013/14.

Few would suggest that Spurs have had a season to be proud of. Fewer still would argue that the club has moved onwards and upwards since the departure from north London of the special son, the world’s most expensive player to date.

Consideration of all the relevant factors in the club’s recent demise could run for many pages. Naturally, our somewhat impotent attack is probably the longest running and most obvious area of concern, but we’ve spoken about that many times already – especially on the e-Spurs podcast throughout this season. In reality, there are questions regarding each of the three outfield departments – defence, midfield and attack. Today’s spotlight will be on the defence – the players with promise for next season and beyond and those whose time is up – if it wasn’t already up last summer.

The GK is perhaps the one player who escapes most criticism – he has been the most consistent performer over the season. Hugo Loris is a world class GK – individuals in that category possess the ability to save matches and points. That has come to be Hugo’s forte this season and has put him firmly in the minds of Europe’s dominant clubs. Should he leave this summer, the club will face a task in finding a replacement of equal class.

Daniel Levy will want a return on his investment and the France national team captain is worth more today than the £11m or so paid for him. Having said that, the club would need to sell him for at least £15m or thereabouts – Lyon will reportedly receive 20% of his next transfer fee.

Looking at the defence – this hasn’t been their best year. In the summer of 2013, the decision was made to offload the young, English prospect in Steven Caulker and to stick with the centre-half on the decline – Michael Dawson.

Danny Rose was welcomed back to the club following a raved about loan spell at Sunderland. The bid for Fabio Coentrao floundered and BAE was loaned out to QPR.

Vlad Chiriches was drafted in to add to the numbers. Kyle Walker was further cemented as the club’s first choice right-back and Kyle Naughton was left untouched as the reserve full-back.

The real questions concerning the defence were:

1) Money aside, should either Steven Caulker or Michael Dawson have been moved on?
2) Was Danny Rose ready, capable to be the first choice left back?
3) Were the frailties in Kyle Walkers concentration and decision making going to persist?
4) Was there sufficient cover at full back position?
5) Would Kyle Naughton add any value to the squad?

There may of course have been other legitimate questions concerning the defence but these above are the queries that persisted in my mind at the time. Looking at each defender in turn:

Michael Dawson

Age: 30

Dawson must be recognised as a loyal and committed servant of the club. To say otherwise would be disingenuous. The club’s decision to keep him on may have been motivated by the higher transfer fee on offer for the young defensive starlet in Caulker – but were the coffers swelled at the expense of clean-sheets and league points?

Dawson was originally signed from Nottingham Forrest and sold to the Spurs faithful as one for the future. An English centre-half both in nationality and in playing style, he became known for putting his body on the line and was respected for that much.

One weakness in his game remained with him – his penchant to play the long ball. Another, became more exacerbated with the passing of the years – the loss of a yard of pace. Never renowned for his top speed, Dawson’s legs began to desert him last season – the decay having persisted into this season.

Dawson’s inability to cope with world class strikers, especially those with pace – combined with his need to lose possession in the pass have marked this season for him and as such he must be one of the players to be replaced. Either that or he should resign himself to being a bit part player from the bench in future.

Younes Kaboul

Age: 28

On paper, Kaboul is a starter. Big, strong, athletic, aerially dominant –Kaboul is ideally suited to playing centre-half. If anything, his decision making has improved since his first spell at the club – quite possibly something that is tied in with his maturing in years. Game after game, Younes is physically difficult to get the better of.

What works against Kaboul however are two things. Firstly, his injuries have robbed him and the club of a period of persistent playing time with which to embed him in the team and build confidence and form. Secondly, without too much offence intended, he isn’t the sharpest tool and is prone as much as anyone to clumsiness and lapses. I do not need to provide examples.

Whereas a forward might get away with conceding possession, the consequences for defensive slip ups are far more costly.

Jan Vertonghen

Age: 27

Super Jan is on his day our best defender. Simple.

One worry is that his head may have been turned a la Stephen Carr with all the hype his performances have received. He may already fancy a move out of the club and if he does, Champions League football is only a transfer away for someone with his ability.

He too has proven to be error prone more than once but overall his performances have been top drawer – especially in the first half of the season. Jan is young, has a great football education (at Ajax) behind him and has a hunger to succeed. Added to that, Jan can also be quite effective at left-back although you’d only be able to use him sparingly in that position for fear of upsetting him too much!

Levy will have pulled off a real coup Jan Vertonghen is a Spurs player on 1st September 2014. Time will tell.

Danny Rose

Young, pacey and up for the fight. Danny has shown promise and even found the net in a recent league game. He does have ability but his youth brings inexperience, lapses in concentration and some rash decisions.

In short, Danny has improved and has potential – the problem has been relying on him as the first choice left-back. This has been a mistake and ultimately, Danny should be relied upon as back-up or rotation for that position.

The club failed in signing a proper first choice left-back last summer and if they make the same mistake this coming summer, the team results will suffer for it.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto

Age: 30

Benny has the power to divide Spurs fans. Whereas some seek solace in the idea that he is to return to the club from loan, this Spurs supporter wants rid of him. If attitude and commitment are important attributes – we won’t be losing much if we move him on.

At 30, his legs are soon to be gone – he may have more experience than he did this time last year but at his peak BAE was never the best full-back. Consistent, rampaging, cute, technically gifted are not ways of describing him as a player.

Serious question marks must exist over his apparent revelling in a spanking at the Lane earlier this season – you’re either dedicated to the cause or not.

The best full-backs nowadays get up and down the flank, link with the wingers and midfielders and cause problems with crosses – perfect example, Pablo Zabaleta. BAE offers very little going forward, nods off at the wrong time and inexcusably, avoids playing the smart, short ball, in favour of the easy option – 30-40 yard pump upfield.

A left-back more accomplished at playing the ball on the floor is needed. There are plenty better players in that position – we just need to sign one! He’s had a season of appearances in the Championship against inferior wingers to Hazard, Silva, Sterling etc and yet his performances in the Championship have not done anything to inspire confidence.

Zeki Fryers

Age: 21

There isn’t much that needs to be said about Fryers. A decent squad player who’s looked competent when asked to step in to the team. In the short time that he’s had at the club he has fixed himself firmly above Kyle Naughton in the pecking order.

All we can ask from him next season is continued improvement and the right attitude. If he is a model professional the future should be bright for this young man.

Vlad Chiriches

Age: 24

A recent addition to the club, Vlad has had his ups and downs. This has been his first season so the temptation is to give him breathing space. Next season will be his to show us just how good he is.

There have certainly been occasions when he has looked clumsy but he’s a refreshing improvement from Michael Dawson when we consider Vlad’s preference to be calm on the ball and to keep play on the floor wherever possible. This is what is required of the world’s best centre-halves so we should not dissuade Vlad from doing the same.

Few would argue that he hasn’t shown enough to justify his being one of our four senior centre-halves but at the same time we wouldn’t want him to rest on his laurels. There is still time for him to learn his trade at this level and his peak has not yet arrived.

Kyle Walker

Age: 23

Kyle still has room and time for improvement in his game. There is no argument from this quarter for the transfer out of this player so I’ll keep my comments short.

Kyle must ensure that the hype doesn’t go to his head. He has promise but he has weaknesses in his game that need to be dealt with. His attacking play has improved which is pleasing. Defensively, he will only move to the next level when his thinking improves, concentration lapses desist and he drops the tendency to pick up needless yellow cards.

As with Kaboul, the hope is that injuries do not blight his career.

Kyle Naughton

Age: 25

The comments are equally short with regard to this player. Cover is required for right full-back but this Kyle is not the man. Injuries to key players have thrust him into the limelight. Hes been gifted playing time through the misfortune of others – he has not taken the opportunity placed before him.

Physically weak, error prone, positionally slack Kyle Naughton is the weak link in the side whenever he takes to the field. His inability to function on his weaker foot is alarming for a Premier League player. His level is below that of a team chasing top four. Given that squads are limited in size, Naughton’s place should be made available for a more proficient defender capable of making a positive difference to the starting line up.

After 37 league games, Spurs have conceded 51 goals. To put that number in some perspective, it’s almost double the number let in by Chelsea so far and more than either Crystal Palace or West Ham have conceded. We must therefore be aiming for improvement on this front next season.

Looking closer at the statistics for the season so far, we are one of the stronger teams (in terms of numbers) when it comes to number of shots at our goal and fair play. Spurs also put in the 7th highest amount of tackles per game – not to be sniffed at but equally nothing to shout about.

It is not a coincidence that the best teams in the world all have finely balanced squads with 2 or 3 players in each position. Minimal disruption to the team results from injuries that are inevitable and the team can stick to its playing style more often, rather than having to play players out of position.

If Spurs can get nearer to that ideal next season, there is room for optimism. If not, holes will appear and points will be dropped. We can’t afford home defeats to the likes of Newcastle and West Ham next season. Nor can we afford to drop points to the likes of West Brom at WHL – these missed opportunities cost league places – and those league places determine who gets Champions League football – that in turn plays a huge part in filtering which clubs will be able to sign the best players. Not rocket science!

COYS!

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