Tottenham: Season Preview

Last season was supposed to finally be the year that Tottenham solidified themselves as a serious contender for a top-four place in the Premier League.  Despite losing Gareth Bale for a record fee, chairman Daniel Levy (and arguably Andres Villas Boas) spared no expense in trying to replace the Welsh talisman; but it was not to be the season that Spurs supporters dreamed of.

All told, Tottenham spent over 100million pounds on reinforcements to replace the star man (gee, sound like anyone you know this summer…anyone?), went through two managers in AVB and then the comedic stylings of Tim Sherwood, and could only manage to finish sixth in the table.  European football was achieved, but it could have been so, so much more for Spurs.

Their tale from last season must be a cautionary one, but this summer has seen a different approach.  They’ve been active in the market with four additions to the first-team, but they’ve not only been far more sensible in their expenditures, but the players brought in have been the right sort.

Tottenham have done well in the market this summer, but their most significant move was to bring in Pochettino

The biggest acquisition this summer was not a player at all but Mauricio Pochettino.  Poch comes to White Hart Lane after a massively successful season that saw his Saints finish a very respectable eighth, but without guarantees that he would be able to keep his players (surely, this summer tells you he would not have), the Argentine gaffer headed for the vacancy at the Lane.  His fresh approach on the tactics board, his ability to get the best out of his players and the close nature with which he operates the first-team could be just what Tottenham needs.

Spurs could still well have more business to conduct before the window shuts, with Pochettino desperate to bring former players Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez to London as part of the south coast exodus.  Despite their good summer, can they imagine ever finishing above sixth?

TRANSFERS IN (four; totaling 21million pounds):

Surely the best piece of business this summer by the club, new left-back Ben Davies brings an instant upgrade to the position that solidifies the defense and makes the attack much more lethal

Ben Davies; LB (10 million pounds from Swansea City) – You may really enjoy his hairstyles (but, you really shouldn’t), but Benoit Assou-Ekotto is by no means good enough for the club.  Sure he can deliver a decent ball from time to time and he’s got a decent left foot, but he’s the biggest defensive liability.  Jan Vertonghen is best deployed centrally, so Pochettino has gone out and purchased Ben Davies.  Not only can Davies run for days on end, but his service is even better than BAE and he’s far more defensively reliable – this was a big upgrade.

Michel Vorm; GK (5 million pounds from Swansea City) – With Heurelho Gomes off to the Championship, Spurs were in need of a solid back-up for Hugo Lloris; enter Dutch international Michel Vorm from Swansea.  While it is unclear why Vorm would ditch the Liberty Stadium for a back-up role to one of the league’s top shot stoppers, certainly the move would have been more about money and the chance to play European football rather than be guaranteed the number one shit.  Still, Spurs have a very capable back-up if Lloris needs a rest.

Eric Dier; CB (4 million pounds from Sporting Lisbon) – While Tottenham have Jan Vertonghen, Michael Dawson, Vlad Chiriches and Younes Kaboul, Pochettino does like to get his hands on a young player when he can.  Eric Dier comes to the Lane highly touted at Sporting Lisbon (evident by the fans disappointment that he left the club), and despite his tender age of just 20, Dier has enough quality to shake things up in training and give Poch a bit of a selection headache.  With Dawson in decline and Kaboul inconsistent, Dier could well routinely be in the first-team.

DeAndre Yedlin; RB (2.4 million pounds from Seattle Sounders) – The move for the standout American right-back is a curious one.  Spurs can call upon Kyle Walker, who when fit, is first-choice for the national team, and they have Kyle Naughton on the books as well; he’s not great, but he’s decent cover.  Yedlin, though, is a complete speed demon who shows maturity beyond his years, as evident by his displays this summer in Brazil.  Very much in the same ilk as Walker and a few years younger, Yedlin will finish out the MLS season and then join his new club-mates.

TRANSFERS OUT (nine; totaling 20million pounds):

Gylfi Sigurdsson returned to Swansea after failing to truly impress at Spurs

Gylfi Sigurdsson; AM (8 million pounds to Swansea City) – With so many attacking options at the club and his unsure status with the arrival of Pochettino, Sigurdsson moved back to his former club Swansea, who welcomed him with open arms.  Guaranteed to be in the XI with Gary Monk’s side, it was the right move for a player that, while gifted, never truly took his chances well with Spurs.  8million pounds is also a good piece of business for a player who truly fell short of expectations.

Jake Livermore; CM (8 million pounds to Hull City) – Central midfield is an overloaded area at the club if there ever was one.  Pochettino comes in with a wealth of options at his disposal, and despite his successful season-long loan at Hull last season, Livermore would have little chance to routinely get first-team football at the Lane.  He goes back to Hull to renew his successful partnership with other former Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone.  Again, 8million pounds for a player who would not feature for the firs-team is another good bit of dealing by the club.

Iago Falque; LW (4 million pounds to Genoa) – Falque came to the club with some promise behind his name, but the Spaniard failed to make much of any impression at all during his time in London.  While you can argue the talent that he did posses was still there, the Premier League is certainly not for everyone, and even far more talented players failed to make the grade in England.  He set off to Italy in a bid to re-establish himself, and Spurs receiving 4million pounds in the process is a win for both parties involved.

Free Transfers – Lawrenc Vigouroux (Liverpool), Heurelho Gomes (Watford), Kevin Stewart (Liverpool), Jonathan Miles and Roman Michael-Percil (unattached)

"PREDICTED STARTING XI4-2-3-1: Hugo Lloris; Ben Davies, Jan Vertonghen, Michael Dawson, Kyle Walker; Paulinho, Moussa Dembele; Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen, Andros Townsend; Emmanuel AdebayorMost of my predicted starters will be seen as no brainers, even with Pochettino coming in as manager.  The back-four is clearly the best available and the starting job at keeper is Lloris’ to lose, which he most likely won’t unless it’s through injury.  Paulinho offers the holding player required, while Dembele can pull the strings from a deeper area, much how Schneiderlin did for Soton under Poch.  The unexpected inclusion in my XI will undoubtedly Lamela, who was a massive failure last season.  However, the Argentine has shown plenty of progression under his new manager in pre-season, and Poch could well be the catalyst to his revival.  Eriksen remains the number 10, and despite not getting the same exposer, is one of the most talented playmakers in the Premier League.  Townsend was on fine form before his injury and given his younger age and attributes that are very much akin to some of his former players, I cannot see someone displacing him just yet.  Adebayor must remain the logical choice at striker unless Roberto Soldado proves his worth."

TEAM STRENGTHS:

Few in the league are better at set-pieces and pulling the strings than Christian Eriksen. After a hugely successful debut season, the Danish international is set to explode

• Pace going forward – Andros Townsend, Aaron Lennon, Erik Lamela, Kyle Walker and DeAndre Yedlin (when he joins the squad) all have afterburners on board; even Emmanuel Adebayor and Christian Eriksen have a bit of pace about them.  There is no question that Pochettino will tap into the speed that exists in his squad, and in doing so, Poch has a real chance to turn them into a devastatingly effective counter-attacking side, especially through the right side channel were Townsend, Lennon, Walker and Yedlin feature.  While Spurs do have a few very good creative features, the real danger is just that one through ball or long ball that one of the speedsters latch on to, and then you’re completely exposed in an instant.
• Hugo Lloris – The French international keeper began his career at White Hart Lane with some questionable performances, but once he settled in, Lloris has shown himself to be world class.  Now that the question mark that was BAE answered by Davies, and further defensive reinforcements brought in via Dier and Yedlin, Spurs have an excellent to improve their defensive numbers from last season, and Lloris will be at the front of that campaign.
• Christian Eriksen – Many heard of the Danish international while he was ravaging the Dutch Eredivisie in the famous red and white shirt of Ajax Amsterdam, but the business that brought him to Tottenham last season was easily their best signing of the lot.  Supremely creative to the point of telepathic probabiltiy, technically outstanding and a master at set-pieces, it’s actually a wonder how Spurs ended up with him on the books and not plying his trade at an even bigger club.  Regardless, Eriksen has easily cemented himself in the first-team and in the hearts of the club support as their talismanic figure.  With talented attacking options surrounding him that all hopefully will be set to flourish under Pochettino this season, we still have yet to see the best from the Dane; that itself, is a scary thought indeed.

TEAM WEAKNESSES:

With issues at center-back potentially sorted, the state of the striker situation at the club still remains a massive question mark; both Emmanuel Adebayor (pictured) and Roberto Soldado must improve if Spurs are to make heads turn

• Inconsistency – If you thought Newcastle was inconsistent, think again, because the buck stops at Tottenham in that regard.  For a side that had the players that it has last season, Spurs would either be brilliant in a 3-0 masterclass performance, or they would struggle to string two passes together and get absolutely played off the pitch.  It can be argued that when your manager was AVB or Sherwood that it a string of good performances would be hard to come by, but it should be the main goal of Poch in his first season at the Lane to not only get all the players on the same page, but get them playing consistent quality football; all things depend on it for the club this season.
• Question marks at striker – On paper, you’d think that when you can call upon either Emmanuel Adebayor or Roberto Soldado, that things would be just fine; they aren’t.  While Adebayor has a wealth of Premier League experience at Arsenal and Manchester City before coming to Tottenham, the Togolese frontman is a microcosm of Spurs issue of inconsistency.  There are times he will be sublime, and then other times where he reminds you of THAT kid who is in your five-a-side team that just can’t do anything right ever.  As for Soldado, he may have been a hit in La Liga, but he was absolutely abysmal in a Spurs shirt in his debut season last term.  The talent is there between the pair of them, and the hunger of young Harry Kane behind them gives Pochettino something to work with; can he pull off some sort of black magic to get them performing better? If he can, Spurs are in business.
• Center Back – Jan Vertonghen is a very good center-back, of this there is no question, but the questions do remain on the other options at the club.  Michael Dawson may be the club captain, but his injury issues and lack of consistency as a result is a glaring issue that causes Younes Kaboul an Vlad Chiriches to have to feature far more than is appropriate.  Eric Dier, though highly valued at Sporting Lisbon, is still just 20-years old and cannot really be expected to come into the first team and be the next Sol Campbell.  Kaboul and Chiriches are serviceable, but yet again, you find yourself realizing they are inconsistent (seeing a trend here?), and in the Premier League, if your center-backs are not at top levels each weekend, you’re dead.  It may be up to Dier after all, to learn from Dawson and make a name for himself in short order.

"PREDICTED FINISH: 7thThat prediction may come as a shock to many, but after you consider it for more than five seconds, the reality becomes clear.  Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal are all sure to finish above Tottenham.  Manchester United have Louis van Gaal on the bridge of the ship and without the distraction of European football, United can surely concentrate on the league as their top priority.  Liverpool will regress as Europe is now on the table for them, but their quality really isn’t under question, and neither is the quality of Brendan Rodgers.  Everton under Roberto Martinez are fast becoming a threat for routinely finishing in the top five or six, and they have had a very good summer in regards to the transfer market.  The reality of the situation is, that Spurs rivals have all strengthened in multiple ways this summer.  While Mauricio Pochettino is sure to do a good job with the players, he now has to manage higher expectations, and he has a rotation policy that is far more difficult to manage than Southampton.  Spurs are a shoe-in for top seven, but only at seventh."