Premier League woes continue for Spurs

It’s been a bitter sweet week for Tottenham Hotspur. The club are on the verge of moving into a state-of-the-art stadium, they‘re also into the hat for the Champions League quarter-final. It’s been a different story at home as the Premier League woes continue for Spurs.

Champions League Success

Dortmund, Germany. Spurs went into their second leg at the Signal Iduna Park with an important three-goal advantage. In an effort to turn the tie around, Lucien Favre‘s Dortmund threw the kitchen sink at the game. Spurs defended brilliantly in a 45-minute spell that brought the best out of Hugo Lloris. It was Harry Kane‘s 48th-minute strike that put the tie beyond doubt. Kane‘s finish was typical of a top striker, it was a clinical moment in Tottenham’s European quest for success.

Mauricio Pochettino lauded his side after their Champions League efforts. Dortmund are flying in the Bundesliga. To beat them home and away is a good achievement. Spurs are four games away from the final at the Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid, but have Spurs reached their limit?

"Dortmund are a club and a team who are always there, one of the best teams in Europe, top of the Bundesliga, they beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the group stage. They only conceded at home against us in the Champions League. To beat the team at the top of the Bundesliga 4-0 over two legs is fantastic. There are a lot of things to be proud of. It’s an amazing thing, I’m so happy for the Club and the fans and now we need to change our objectives and be ready to compete in the best way against Southampton via tottenhamhotspur.com"

Premier League woes continue for Spurs

Fast forward three days and the mood in the Spurs camp is different.  A 2-1 away defeat to Southampton is embarrassing for a team loaded with talent. Spurs should have left the St Mary’s with three points and a hat full of goals, but they didn’t. The resolute defending displayed in Dortmund was absent in a 45-minute spell that threatens Tottenham’s league position.

Whatever Ralph Hasenhüttl’s half-time message was, it worked. Southampton came out in the second half and took the game by the scruff of the neck, an avoidable situation for Spurs. James  Ward-Prowse‘s fantastic free-kick sent the Spurs fans back to North London feeling frustrated.

In his post-match interview, Pochettino‘s comments raise alarm bells. The Spurs manager also claims in his interview with the MOTD that his team didn‘t take the second half at St Mary’s seriously.

"It was a game that we need to spend time here, it’s going to be easier, okay the opponent didn’t show too much, they didn’t fight too much, fight for survival in the Premier League and I think that we showed a lack of aggression and hunger to kill the game and win. via Spurs Web"

Spurs are faltering in the league, a third defeat in four keeps Spurs in third on 61 points. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United are breathing down Tottenham’s neck. At this moment, you’d have to fancy United to clinch the third spot in the league.

Since Kane’s return from injury,  Spurs have picked up one point from a possible 12. Defeats to Burnley, Chelsea and Southampton pose the question as to whether or not Spurs have got what it takes to challenge Liverpool and both Manchester clubs over the course of a full season.

The current situation at Spurs throws up more questions than answers? Consistency, transfer budgets, ambition and the ability of the manager to motivate his players, they‘re topics for discussion. Since his appointment in 2014, Poch has guided the club to a top-three finish in four of his five years in charge. The world of football is waiting for Tottenham to turn their potential into trophies.

Frustrated Poch

Spurs must do something different if they are to break through the glass ceiling. Speaking to Talk Sport, Poch admitted that his side may have reached their limit. If that’s the case the spotlight shifts to Dani Levy. The Spurs owner knows how to build the brand off the field, a new stadium and a 10-year deal with the NFL to host games is a good strategy – it doesn‘t win football games.

According to transfermarkt.com, Southampton are the only Premier League side to have spent less than Spurs in the last five years. It would be unfair to lay blame at the feet of the manager. It’s difficult to replicate what Manchester City have achieved in a short space of time without throwing huge sums of money at the transfer market.

Spurs are a club with the potential to win silverware, be it in England or on the continent. To do that Spurs need to find consistency, it might take time, but it will take money. Poch and the Spurs fans are hungry for success, over to Mr Levy.

The Premier League woes continue for Spurs, who travel to Liverpool at the end of the month. Can Poch’s men respond? If they do, it will set the cat amongst the pigeons on Merseyside.

Pochettino must work with what he has for now, and there’s still plenty to play for. It should be a very busy Summer for Spurs. There’s seldom a dull moment in the Top Flight.