Reflection

Article by Matt Wilson @Yid4Life_COYS

It’s been a tricky week for Tottenham, crashing out of the Champions league with a flattering 2-1 defeat to Monaco and our first Premier League loss to bitter rivals Chelsea. But why has the week gone as badly as it has?

An idea floating around is that we are missing some key players through injury or suspension; that would certainly make a difference. Erik Lamela, Ben Davies, Danny Rose, and Toby Alderweireld all missed the Battle of the Bridge, leaving a makeshift back line of Kevin Wimmer, Vertonghen, Eric Dier, and Kyle Walker – Only 2 in their preferred positions.

Admittedly, for the first half, we didn’t put a foot wrong. Scoring a great goal from Eriksen, who now seems to be back on form, we looked to be witnessing a victory at the Bridge for the first time in over a quarter of a century. However, Eric Dier was at fault for Pedro’s equaliser. A vital player and one who was missing, Toby Alderweireld, would have stepped in or at least closed down, so Pedro did not have the time to turn and finish spectacularly into the corner.

The second Chelsea goal also demonstrated how important Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld are to the side. Danny Rose would have likely been marking Moses at the back post, instead of jogging into the box and ball watching as Kevin Wimmer was. A freeze frame in the analysis post-game showed that 7 players were tracking back for Tottenham, and none of them did their job correctly.

Secondly, I feel that our Summer window signings were not good enough for us to be either Champions League nor Premier League contenders. Vincent Janssen is yet to settle, Nkoudou (yet to really be given a chance, but may have earnt a start against Swansea after a good display against Chelsea), and, the worst of them all, Moussa Sissoko. The signing from Newcastle was a deadline day panic buy. He was bought for £30m, a last minute pressure buy, simply because we didn’t strengthen in time.

Alternative options included: Isco, Batshuyai (before he ruined his career sitting on Chelsea’s bench), Lukaku and Zaha. Now, some of these may not be big names, but signings like these would have been so much better for Tottenham in the long run. These players could have provided depth, ability, AND a Plan B for Cup games. Pochettino has himself admitted that Sissoko has not been good enough, thus he was removed from the squad for the Chelsea fixture.

So, where do we go from here? I expect a very busy January window. At least 2 or 3 signings, enabling us to progress in the FA Cup and continue fighting for the Title/top 4. In addition to this, I would also like to see youth given more of a chance. Harry Winks has proved once again that our youth academy is a vital asset, full of young, fresh talent. I expect the likes of Harry Winks, Josh Onomah and Marcus Edwards to experience more first team football within the coming months.

Hopefully, we can bounce back from this tricky time. I cannot wait to be at the Lane for Swansea next Saturday! Back to winning ways? Let’s hope so! COYS

The e-Spurs Podcast S4E12. More loans than Wonga - Out Now

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