For the second time in a week, Tottenham Hotspur have been put to the sword by rivals Chelsea. Last Wednesday, in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge, it was two Spurs errors at the back that led to their downfall. Despite misplaced passes and unfortunate errors which led to the two-goal advantage Chelsea had over Spurs heading into the second leg on Wednesday, there was hope Spurs might be able to score an early and seek to put pressure at home under the lights.
Instead, all hope for the game was all but gone around 1:45 p.m. EST when the Spurs roster was released. Despite a few changes here and there, the lineup alone led many to believe it would take a miracle, like the one in Amsterdam, for Spurs to tie things up. Perhaps largely due to the lack of depth, lack of full investment and ongoing injury problems at the club, Spurs again persisted with many of the same second string players that led to disappointing performances from the first leg and the FA. Cup game against Morecambe
As many expected, Spurs crashed out against one of their bitter rivals in a tournament that was perhaps their most realistic chance of lifting a trophy. Spurs entered the season aiming to realistically win a trophy, either in the League Cup, FA Cup and/or UEFA Conference League. Winning the Premier League is never a distant possibility, Spurs now remain in the FA Cup only as we approach the halfway point in January.
So, after yet another agonizing outing in the quest for silverware, let’s pause, step back and reflect on this year and what the club can still achieve with a ton to play with still plenty of time left in this season. .
Injury issues
For starters, there’s obviously a sense of doom around the club at the moment. Their last four matches – two against Chelsea, one against Morecambe and one in the league against Watford – have been extremely uninspiring. There are a few different injuries for key players in the team. In both games against Chelsea, Spurs were unable to deploy defenders Eric Dier and Sergio Reguilón.
Also, in their second game, Heung-min Son was unable to play due to an injury which will keep him out for a few more weeks, while Spurs’ top defender Cristian Romero has been out since the last international break. The good news though is that most of Spurs’ injured players should be in the equation in the coming days and weeks.
In addition to injuries, the difficult and tricky January transfer window has arrived and Spurs – as always – seem more inclined to find the best deals possible rather than be out of business. Time will tell if this will pay off for the club, but it’s no surprise fans are frustrated when clubs the size of Aston Villa act bolder in bringing in players who can immediately improve the squad like Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne.
The tea leaves surrounding Tottenham’s transfer prospects are mostly linked to the possibility of joining Adama Traore, reportedly as a right-back. Traore would give a little more clout in attack compared to Emerson Royal, who was criticized by fans during Antonio Conte’s tenure. The latest around Adama is that the Spurs deal could be a loan-to-buy deal, similar to Atalanta duo Romero and Pierluigi Gollini’s deals.
As well as Adama, Conte has made it known he wants another striker and maybe even another centre-back this window. Supporters have been clamoring for a bit more creativity, but it hasn’t come across in either press conferences or his squad selections that Conte necessarily agrees with. With Giovani Lo Celso coming back from injury, the Argentine will definitely have his chances to work his way into Conte’s plans permanently.
It also doesn’t help the mood around Spurs that the club appear to be shipping one of the hottest prospects from their youth academy. On Friday, it was reported that Blackburn and Spurs appear to be in agreement for 20-year-old striker Dilan Markanday. For a club that has expressed the use of its youth, the decision to move to one of its most talented seems quite curious.
The continued need for outgoing players
Recent games have provided more and more evidence that parting ways with a few players will simply be better for everyone involved. The most visible example of this is of course Tanguy Ndombele after not only his lackluster performance against Morecambe but also his temper and mentality when he was substituted amid a visceral fan backlash.
Ndombele is really the most visible example of players who have been brought into the club over the past few seasons who have simply failed to start and prove their worth and the truth is that the club should be looking for many exits in this window. In addition to Ndombele, it might be best if players such as Matt Doherty, Joe Rodon and even Dele Alli were transferred to rejuvenate their football careers. But with the difficulty of this window and the high salaries Spurs are paying some of their players, the number of suitors interested in the aforementioned players and others could be minimal.
he italian manager
Besides all the above, the scariest thing for Spurs and their supporters is the Italian manager’s sudden change in mood. Prior to the congestion of the pre-January game, Conte seemed quite jovial during his press conferences and on the touchline. The team was winning and clicking and maybe the Italian manager was expecting some much needed reinforcements in January because by then he had spent enough time with the team to know what he needed to be bring. At recent screenings, perhaps due to some of the recent performances, Conte appeared downcast and despondent. And for a manager like Conte who gives his all and expects the same from all the parties he deals with at every club, the signs are extremely worrying and the remedies to address these issues do not at the moment seem to be what the club are looking for. . to chase.
We don’t have to look long at Conte’s record to know that if he doesn’t get the same level he gives, he will walk. At Inter, despite winning the Scudetto literally less than four weeks previously, Conte walked away from the title-winning club after reporting disagreements with the general direction the club was heading. While Conte insisted at Friday’s press conference that he seemed happy and committed to improving the overall situation, the harsh truth is that Conte has recently had the eye of a manager despondent – the same as his predecessors had – so it’s no surprise why some supporters are boiling again.
Glass half full approach
As with any professional sport, football and Premier League life revolves around ‘what have you done for me lately’. With all the above issues and constraints surrounding the club, it’s easy to forget that whatever Spurs are trying to achieve this season is still ahead of them. It’s so easy to remember that Conte’s Spurs are unbeaten in his first eight league appearances for the club, a first for a Tottenham gaffer.
Although that run has come at the expense of several lower-tier Premier League sides, Spurs are just four points behind fourth-place West Ham with three games less. Spurs have left four points on the board when they failed to take all three points against 10-man Liverpool and 10-man Southampton in recent weeks, but the club are in the thick of the action as they points to a crucial and possibly de facto situation. Decisive game in the top 4 against rivals Arsenal this weekend.
With such a realistic Top 4 position, goal and opportunity, Chairman Daniel Levy’s trip to the Bahamas to speak with majority owner Joe Lewis was bound to be a talk based on loosening the purse strings for Spurs to do. come more players in this window. Spurs have been so conscientious about their financial capital over the last half-decade, but the club can no longer rely on lightning in a bottle as they did with Mauricio Pochettino when they became a regular at the Top-4 conversation.
Levy and the board have been labeled as “cheap” and that comes with good reason, but a shrewd businessman like Levy should know that investing money to make money, especially when you have having the right resources in place like a world class manager for example, is a valid and smart business decision. Add to that the fact that Spurs seem to have an interested Harry Kane again and it gives more strength to the argument that Spurs really should go for it.
It’s not that simple, but Spurs have a ring with Conte and if the board doesn’t fully support him and get relatively close to the level he will need, it will become a ‘who knows what’ conversation. could have happened” as the Italian only signed an 18-month contract with the club. There has been chatter in recent years about Levy and ENIC seeking to sell the club, but recent seasons – marked by falls from league action thanks to the lack of playing in more premium European competitions – have proven that the Spurs have all the creations of natural beauty on the outside with a rotten core on the inside, as Conte hinted at in his early briefings surrounding the club.
It feels like the time has come for the club to get going and get back to the level they should be operating at. It may not feel like it, but Spurs have everything they hoped to achieve this season right in front of them. Levy has made progress in improving the team on the football side with the appointment of Fabio Paratici this summer. Thus, if the original intention is clear, nothing will be set in stone if the financial investment does not accompany it.
Nothing is certain, but with the right players in place, there will be no more excuses for Spurs. If the board provides the necessary finances, it will prove to be the valid bet that Spurs managers and supporters are clamoring for. And if it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work, but at least Spurs will have gone there and that alone would make his supporters happy and better heard. With all of the above, I leave you all with a quote:
To try and fail is at least to learn; not to try is to suffer the priceless loss of what might have been.
Spurs chiefs won’t have any more excuses if they don’t back Conte and give him all the resources he needs – so why not just do it? With Conte in charge, Spurs have a manager who will hold the board accountable. And if they go the easier or cheaper route, it will only continue the downturn the club have suffered in each of the last three seasons.
follow me on Twitter @RyanSRatty.
