Still Fighting

Article by Brent Weber

The season has not quite gone as expected.  Even after the win at Hull, we are lower in the table than I was expecting at this point thanks to some real bad home performances.  More alarming is that the transition to Pochetinno’s style is going tremendously slow.

I haven’t seen much pressing, quick ball movement, or the attacking play that I was hoping to see.  Other than a few good performances against Soton and Arsenal, we have not been impressive on the pitch.

However, things are not quite as dismal as they seem.  We are currently 10th in the table but we are only 2 points out of the coveted 4th place.  We are at the top of our Europa group and I’m confident we will advance to the knock-out stage.  Finally, we are still alive in the Capital One Cup with a somewhat favorable draw approaching.

We have not played to our potential.  Even Eriksen has admitted that the players are still adjusting to each other and to Pochetinno’s system.  Even through this transition and below average play, the players are still fighting and have a lot to play for!

This is a critical stretch for our club and our players. The matches between now and New Year’s will determine if the season will be successful or not. 

Many players will also be competing for match time and their futures with the transfer window quickly approaching.

Our cup fixture against Newcastle could put us into the semi-finals of the League Cup, which would be our first cup semi-final appearance since 2010.

Personally, I would rather Spurs lift a trophy this season than qualify for Champions League. Lifting a trophy, regardless of the competition, can transform the mentality of a club!

Both Europa matches are important and we need to make every effort to win the group. The draw is more favorable for group winners vs. runner-ups and if expect to make a run in Europa, we need to win the group. 

Europa is more important than ever with a UCL birth on the line, and would be nice to continue progressing through this tournament.

Our last 7 league fixtures of 2014 are fairly balanced. We have tough home matches against Everton and United, clubs currently right above us in the table. We have tough away fixtures at Swansea and Chelsea. However, we have winnable matches at Leicester, and home fixtures against Palace and Burnley. A nice run in these fixtures could easily turn our season around heading into the transfer window.

Our league standing could very well determine our activity level in the transfer window as well as Pochetinno’s future.  

Several players are fighting for roster spots heading into the transfer window.

In my opinion, there are only a few safe players (Eriksen, Lloris) on this roster. I am hopeful that we can off-load BAE and Adebayor in January. Both have done little to contribute positively to the club and their attitudes bring nothing but negativity. Others like Dembele, Paulinho, Townsend, Soldado, Lennon, Naughton, Chiriches, and even Vertonghen (hopefully not!) could be up for sale depending on their attitudes, work ethic, and production heading into the transfer window. 

Although it is difficult to rebuild a squad in the winter transfer period, this January could bring many changes, especially with Paul Mitchell allegedly joining the club.

I am still optimistic that we can get on a nice run and turn this season around. If you remember, we made up some ground last season during this time. 

As the season progresses, I think we will only get stronger as the players adjust to each other and Pochetinno. Hopefully Spurs fans across the globe can stay positive, keep fighting with our players, and help inspire our players to work hard, play with passion, and put a nice string of matches together!

COYS!

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