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Back on the 7th of February, life was rather rosy as a Spurs fan. “North London is White” was the statement on supporters’ lips and “He’s one of our own” rang throughout White Hart Lane, as Harry Kane’s brilliant brace sunk the old enemy. Having just spectacularly dominated against Arsenal, positivity was understandably sky high and we all began to believe that perhaps, top 4, was not as distant a dream as we had once thought.
Fast forward three months however, and all that hope and enthusiasm has dissipated leaving behind that ever familiar feeling of regret and disappointment, one synonymous with Spurs followers globally at the conclusion of almost every season. A mere three days after our impressive North London Derby victory, we were defeated by Liverpool. Sure, at the time we chalked it off to just one loss, but it turned out to be the mere beginning of a season ending run wherein we were eliminated from the Europa League and beaten in the Capital One Cup final by a determined Chelsea in a matter of weeks. From being a club fighting emphatically on three fronts, we were left with just the Premier League top 4 to play for. There was initially a small revival of the almost extinguished flame of our Champions League hopes with narrow wins over Swansea and QPR, and it looked as though, despite our chances being slim, we would battle till the end. All this came to an abrupt halt, however, when we were comprehensively trounced by Man United at Old Trafford, bringing a stop to the minimal momentum we had gained.
Since then, it’s fair to say that our performances have left much to be desired. There were victories against Leicester and Newcastle but a record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses in 7 is indicative of a team with nothing to play for, a team who seem as if they are eagerly anticipating their summer holidays and are merely going through the motions on a weekly basis. It is vastly disappointing that our vibrant, energetic young side has stagnated lately and heroes like Kane and Eriksen look completely spent. While this can definitely be put down to the lengthiness of our season with yesterday being our 55th game, it also shows the necessity of having a deep squad, how essential it is that Pochettino trusts the squad members to replace 1st team players when they are as exhausted and depleted as ours currently are.
Players like Kaboul, Capoue, Stambouli and Adebayor who have barely got a whiff of first team football since November would have been useful in games like yesterday’s where much of the first choice clearly needed a break. Since it is evident that Pochettino does not have an iota of faith in any of them, they must be shifted and this is perhaps our foremost goal in the upcoming transfer window. It is also crucial that we fix that troublesome defence with the addition of experienced players, as we currently have the disgraceful distinction of conceding the same amount of goals as Burnley, a team who were relegated with 2 games to spare. How can a team with such lofty European ambitions have a defense which is amongst the worst in the league?
After the humiliating defeat to Stoke, which was unthinkably considerably worse than the reverse at White Hart Lane in November, many fans will be questioning whether Pochettino is the right man for us. We are on course to finish 6th, the same as last year, with a similar goal difference, so many will wonder how 2015/16 will begin with the same manager when those who achieved higher finishes were sacked without second thought. It seems though, that Tottenham Hotspur now has a clear long term plan and Levy and co. have placed firm faith in Pochettino being at the helm of it. As he stated, he will now have full control of transfers and will be primarily responsible for the ins and outs at the club. Unlike managers of the past, it seems he will get the opportunity to work with his “own” team.
So maybe, just maybe, we should remain hopeful for the 2015/16 season and look forward to a manager finally imprinting his style on our club with the players he desires. It’s definitely challenging to muster up such hope after such a horrendous performance, but as fans of this often frustrating club, we have become accustomed to living in hope. Hope that one day our club will achieve the success we persistently yearn for. Whether or not Pochettino is the one to attain that success, is a question that can only be sufficiently answered at the end of next season.
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Levy has trusted Baldini to bring in the dross we have now along with the other cheap options Levy has bought in instead of paying the market rate for a player that will make a difference, Schneiderlin and Salah were just two perfect examples that would of made a difference to our side but Levy haggled over a million here and there and we lost out again, then Levy buys Stambouli as a cheap option to Schneiderlin and where is he? he has played a handful of games and can't even get in the second side? seems now you have to spend big to get into the champions league and stay there, then you can keep your best players and build from there and thats why we lose our best players time and time again, Levy will not change.
ReplyDeleteSpurs fans never aspire for success Sana. We just want our team to go out and try and play attacking football. It's been awful recently. What happened to the Pochetino trademark high-pressing? Danny Rose has been a key player. Without him and Walker we have no width - could Yedlin have started right back last 2 games? The midfield are fatigued and I think Dembele and Stambouli could have had a lot more game time - if anything this competition could help to develop Mason and Bentaleb. Baldini must go, he has not only wasted the Bale money, but the players we've bought in excluding Eriksen (and from time to time Chadli) could prove impossible to shift!
ReplyDeleteInstead of taking into account statements it would be better to base our judgement and conclusions on the ability of a coach like MoPo on what we have seeing on the field concerning intelligent tactics able to help the team counter attack the opponent's tactics and win games, the choice of players, the ability to have a plan B when things don't go well and not to look clueless, the ability to motivate his players, the ability to identify and correct in the shortest possible time certain shortcomings and weak points of the squad, the ability to improve the individual qualities of his players, the ability to teach attractive and effective styles of playing.
ReplyDeleteKeeping a “green” and rather football naïve head coach serves only the plans and commercial interests of Levy and Co to win time without the pressure of the fans for success on the field and winning silverware. The once so popular, famous and glorious club has become a laggard comparing with our (previous) direct rivals. We don't need another lost season by keeping an obviously incapable coach.