Former Tottenham star Chris Waddle insists the team needs to be more clinical in front of goal.
Ange Postecoglou’s team have dominated the proceedings in all three of their Premier League games so far but they have failed to get the desired results. While they did smash Everton 4-0, the North London club dropped points in their season opener against newly promoted Leicester City and suffered a defeat at the hands of Newcastle United.
Despite playing a better brand of football and creating more chances, they couldn’t secure all three points. Chris Waddle feels they lack ruthlessness in the final third of the pitch and that needs to change if they want to finish inside the top four.
The former Spurs star said via the Mirror: “Tottenham’s drive and ambition must be top four. They are in the pack with Newcastle and Man United. I’d put Villa in there too. They’re all competing for one spot.
“I can see them giving teams a game, but the problem is putting the ball in the back of the net. Tottenham probably deserved to beat Newcastle last time out but they lost. They created so many chances in that game and were punished for profligacy, which also happened against Leicester for the first game of the season.
“That is becoming an unwanted habit at the club and is something that they will want to set right immediately, and there’s no better time to do it than the North London derby.”
The North London club missed out on a top-four spot by the smallest of margins last season. Having spent a significant amount in the summer, a top-four finish is the minimum they would want. But it won’t be easy with Manchester United, Aston Villa and Newcastle also pushing for Champions League football.
While Spurs have been playing a great brand of football, they haven’t been clinical enough in the final third. Despite having created more chances against Leicester and Newcastle, they dropped points because Tottenham didn’t make the most out of those chances.
Waddle sees this as a major weakness in their game and they need to get it right if they want to finish in the top four. With the North London derby against Arsenal coming up, Spurs have the best possible platform to get things back on track.
