Tottenham Need Investment to Challenge for the Top Four
Little hopes were raised ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Manchester City on Saturday. After all, the team from North London have had a dismal record against the reigning Premier League champions for quite a while. The recent 6-0 and 5-1 defeats have shown that City have a way of playing against Tottenham that takes advantage of the slow and naïve defence to the fullest. City, unsurprisingly, were placed by many bookmakers as the favourites to take three points. A 4-1 win for the blue half of Manchester sees Tottenham struggling to make the top four. Betfair places Tottenham at a very distant 11/2 to finish in the top four this season.
It was not long ago that Spurs looked in pole position to take advantage of Liverpool’s mammoth slip since 2009 and Arsenal’s continuing decline. Yet, the race for the top four has taken a significant turn especially since the sale of Gareth Bale. Up until the sale of the Welshman, Tottenham had more than just pace on the wings. They also have the quality that could punish opponents even when the team was playing bad. This was crucial to make it into the top four in a league where there could be six or seven potential contenders for that position.
The decision to replace Bale with a raft of signings may have proved excellent piece of business at that time, but it is fast turning out into a major mistake on the part of the club. Of course, keeping Bale was not an option since the player had very much decided on the move, but Spurs should have signed experienced Premier League campaigners rather than the foreign imports.
Tottenham’s recent record against the top teams has been extremely poor. The thrashings at the hands of Manchester City, Liverpool, and, to a certain extent, Chelsea clearly show that the team has declined whereas the opposition have improved.
Chairman Daniel Levy felt that Tim Sherwood was not a manager capable of handling the club at the big stages. He cannot be faulted after having seen his team improve little against the top teams. Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival promised to bring a lot to the club, but so far, the marriage has had mixed reviews.
The former Southampton boss clearly showed last season that he has the ability to be a top manager, but it appears that he does not have the players to play the brand of football he wants.
On a positive note, Tottenham did have several chances – especially in the opening 20 minutes of the second half – to get back against City and even go in front. Roberto Soldado appears woefully short of confidence and this certainly did not help matters. Christian Eriksen seems to be the only shining light within this current Tottenham team. The Danish star alone will not be able to get the club back into the elite stages. The club need another round of spending in the upcoming summer to be competitive once again.
For the moment, it is all about improving with the resources currently available. Tottenham take on Newcastle in the next league match. This gives Pochettino a great opportunity to improve the club’s dismal start to the league campaign. Tottenham have had just one win in the last five league matches. A run of fixtures where they could potentially start picking points beckons the team from North London. It remains to be seen if they can grab this opportunity. Betfair places Spurs at 8/11 to get a victory against the league strugglers from the north-east.
