The fabric seems to be unravelling a bit and once again we face the problems of where to patch, where to darn and where to replace.
We are plodding along with a somewhat unimaginative program of trying to win by playing with an 8 man defence and a two man attack, hoping we can continue to capitalize on the synergistic efforts of Kane and Son in a strategy which as kids we used to call “kick and run”. Is this truly the best Jose can come up with?
We have no forward midfield that can create; our most creative player is played too deep. The idea we can just soak up pressure, suck the opposition forward and hope to get a goal on the break, then defend a 1 – 0 lead is a strategy used by Big Sam and other mangers of the perennial relegation fodder.
Oh and of course…………….we have the now somewhat predictable Kane injury which happens each January ….. kung hei fat choi……. its the year of the ankle again!
Is this Jose’s fault? Well sort of. I don’t doubt he’s identified by now what he has and what he hasn’t, and what he has to make do with or make the best of.
I think he has done some some good work so far; shoring up weaknesses, calling out bullshit which has started (tho’ still a long way to go) in toughening up our competitive mentality – (tho’ the second half on Thursday showed us up as still having a Spursy streak).
So what’s missing? Well in the summer we should have bought Skriniar or some such who could boss the defence: Dier is not that man and Toby’s legs are beginning to fray. But I think we do have sufficient squad quality in defence that a proper “boss” of the defence will bring the others into line – I simply don’t think they are being led as a unit.
We need a creative Number10, someone who can dictate play, move the play or hold the play – (sadly CE is not that player: he was at one time but for the last few years was only about 60% of that player on a good day).
Without someone who can transition from defence to attack Harry gets drawn back, which “can” work well if the opposition overextend, but more frequently leave us without a target man to clear to – and given there’s no transitional midfielder, we give the ball away or plant in into the stands – finding touch is the other code!
My guess is this is something Jose is painfully aware of and is probably highly disappointed some players have not stepped up (namely Dier and Alli) into owning those two roles.
So do we blame Jose? Not at this point I’m guessing he’s bent Levy’s ear about what he needs to happen to mould and keep the squad fresh. But still, he has to do better and be more consistent – as young Mr Grove says, he screwed up against Liverpool and its not the only occasion this season….
So what needs to happen?
Well in simple terms Levy needs to sell the players who we don’t want and replace them with players who can/will allow Jose to play the football he wants………….. and there’s the rub.
Again and as with Jose its not black and white. There’s no doubt that, as someone noted earlier, we are now aspiring top 4 not mid table aspiring for top 6. The club infrastructure is world class and but for Covid would have had us starting to roll in it. Levy has done a first rate job in positioning the club as a robust business for the future.
But Levy has never been one to over-invest in the playing staff despite all evidence pointing to the cost of under-investment. We will buy Lo Celso instead of Bruno Fernandes why? Because it was a better deal, but like buying from Aldi, it might be cheaper, but its less ………. robust/talented/injury free/aggressive (strike out according to the particular Levy deal you’re now thinking of).
We are about to see the window close and in all likelihood no significant change to the squad. Given the two year transfer lock-down when the stadium was being built, I expect that Levy will be unlikely to release funds unless we can sell, which we will find challenging as unsurprisingly, he wants to buy at Covid prices but sell at pre-Covid prices.
Given the above, I think we will see little or no squad refreshment, a style of play predicated not on what we would like to do, but on what we can do, whilst Levy/Jose groom youngsters to make the money Covid has denied us.
So what next?
I think we will see out this season trying to win a cup and staying high enough to get a berth in Europe next year. CL will be tough unless we win the Ropey.
I think the squad will continue to fray and unravel in parts and I think we will see a lot of undermining in the press and unsettling as places like Real Madrid work to unseat players: I think both Son and Kane will be under a lot of pressure this summer to leave. I also think Levy will look at the money being offered and try to talk Jose into accepting plastic instead of leather.
If Levy does not fund Jose, he won’t walk but he’ll undermine and damage and force Levy to sack him…its what he does! Nonetheless, I can’t help but admire the man: for so long we have needed someone who has the single minded focus to succeed. He’s good for this club.
So in summary, both Levy and Jose are coins with two sides – good and bad. The big question, and it still remains to be seen, is whether they will work to bring the best or the worst out of each other.
Cards on the table: I think Levy wins that battle and I think things are destined to slowly get worse. League cup – the most possible trophy this year but we’re far from favourites. Ropey cup – highly doubtful. Top 4 – 50/50. FA cup – doubtful. Enough funds to make Spurs seriously competitive in the Champions League & Premier League – highly improbable.
As I’ve said before, I don’t believe Maureen’s primary motivation is an itch to prove for the first time that he can be a winner at a club which isn’t one of the top spenders in its division; I suspect the 45 million over 3 years was likely the best financial offer he had from any club in Europe. Add that he gets to live in his favourite European city where his main home is, and I believe that’s where you’ll find his key motivations.
Of course I hope he shoves my opinion down my throat and I’ll be the first to pop a bottle of the good stuff if he wins us one of the elite trinkets, but my expectations are pretty non existent.
Go on the Unlikely Successfuls!
Kane could move to win like Walker.. But remember Stevie Gs words at Liverpool.. It means so much more when you win at your own club..
We are in full transition. I tried saying beginning of the season that half our squad wasn’t good enough and needed upgrading. Not many agreed with me. Maureen knows this, he won’t say it publicly for obvious reasons.
Levy brings out the worst in everyone. It’s the perpetual rebuild….Harry got us to the brink, bang….gone.. rebuild. Poch did the same, bang….gone… rebuild. Now it’s Jose’s go….
All these problems yet win 2 matches in hand and it’s 2 points off 2nd. Funny that….
I agree with the writer below, an excellent post. I cannot see Levy changing his spots. He never has done. One cup in twenty years is a sad reflection of our club and his executive skills. Some fans believe that Levy is an astute businessman who has a reputation for hard headed and successful negotiating ability in the transfer market. My opinion, for what it is worth, is that Levy is chiefly interested in boosting the value of Enic’s balance sheet and thereby his own personal wealth and know very little about football. You only have to look at some of the managers he has appointed and many of the signings he has missed. I don’t subscribe to the view that he is a dyed in the wool Spurs fan. History shows that the teams with the highest wage bills, with the exception of Leicester, generally win the league because they have the best players. It really doesn’t matter who our manager is, until Levy is removed from all football matters at Spurs, we will never succeed.
Well done Finn on a well written piece.
Excellent post Finn. We are back to the central conundrum that has plagued this club for decades. Will the owners of THFC change their Modus Operandi to one of investing in the playing staff of the football business.? With the stadium in stasis as far as the circulation of cash and sponsors nonexistent on the horizon at the moment, the only metric for success is what happens on the pitch in terms of securing the best financial returns available, That I would suggest is very much focused on a top-four spot or winning the Wafa cup to secure a CL place for next season. It is clear for all to see that we have a cluster of gold nuggets in the squad weighed down by a bulk of iron pyrite. Every time the club appears to gain traction and forward momentum that fools gold applies reverse motion that takes us back to groundhog day. Each opportunity this season ( and there have been several) when we could have pushed on and put some blue sky between us and the chasing pack at the top of the table we have hit reverse instead of the accelerator. It is called being “Spursey” but it is really the manifestation of a lack of core investment in obtaining the right quality of personal on the pitch. The dilemma rapidly approaching is that without tangible success this season our cluster of gold nuggets may well decide along with their agents that the promise of success is no longer sustainable to keep them at the club. Kane and Son are world-class players that should be playing with a team of world-class players and stocking up their trophy cabinets as a testament to the success of their careers. They are both approaching the peak of their careers and watching the never-ending story of basic errors and lack of ability from the iron pyrites surrounding them will force them into making a decision to move on. If Kane goes Son will surely follow and vice versa. Will Levy resist the urge to sanction that possibility if the right offers are made or will he have a choice if the players state they want to leave? As Kane and Son have shown what they can do as a combo, would it be beyond the realms of possibility for a club like Man City, who may well win the EPL yet again to snap them both up? Kane has only to look at what Kyle Walker has achieved since moving to see that as a very attractive option.