Are Spurs set to surprise a few this season?

Nobody at Tottenham Hotspur expected anything coming into the new season. They had a new manager with new ideas (or should I say “philosophies”?) on how the team should play. They were set to start a recovery, a plan to repair the broken squad of the 2013/14 season, and, having learnt the price of an itchy trigger-finger, most Spurs fans were prepared to wait patiently during this season of transition.

That was the mood in August, before a ball was kicked or a game was played. It is now January and the Premier League has surpassed the halfway point. Spurs sit in sixth, three points off fourth place, two points off bitter rivals Arsenal, two points above Liverpool. They are still fighting in all cup competitions: fourth round of the FA Cup, last 32 of the Europa League, semi final of the League Cup. Suddenly, the mood at Spurs has shifted to snowballing optimism.

You may be asking many questions. How have Spurs season turned out this way? Can Tottenham seriously get into the top four? Can they even win silverware?

I might as well attempt to tackle a few of these.

How?

Having watched Southampton excel last season, I had some sort of expectation as to what Tottenham under Pochettino would be like: high-pressing, possession-based attacking football. But what precisely is the substance of the team? What lies beyond the tactics?

Man-management. Both the previous two managers, Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, had been charged with lacking in man-management skills. Whilst perhaps this criticism has been contested here and there, there is no denying that Pochettino has communicated superbly with the Tottenham players, particularly the youth. Names like Bentaleb, Kane and Mason were inherited from the previous management as prospects (credit where it’s due) and Pochettino has turned these squad players into starting players. That’s actually an understatement – they are now pivotal to the team! Bentaleb has conducted our build-up play perfectly in midfield. Mason has injected the energy and commitment long absent in defensive midfield at Spurs. Kane is currently Tottenham’s highest scorer in all competitions this season. A Spurs striker that scores goals?! It defies logic.

The cohesion of the squad is another area that has thoroughly improved as well this season. The absence of high-profile, big-money, big-expectation signings in August has allowed the current squad to attempt to prove themselves.  Some of these players have risen to the plate: Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela, Vertonghen and Rose spring to mind. Some have not and question marks remain: Soldado, Adebayor, Kaboul and Capoue have disappointed fans, the saddest one being Kaboul, the supposed skipper. Lloris is… well, Lloris – he was always going to be godlike between the posts.

The success of Tottenham this year has derived from a young, vibrant squad still in status of transition.

Top four? 

At the start of the year, not a single fan would have entertained the idea of a top four challenge, let alone a place. What has emerged this year, most surprisingly, is the failings and disappointments of the other top clubs. Manchester United, despite hammering open the multi-million pound piggy-bank in the summer, have been edgy. Arsenal are imitating the Spurs of 2012/13 and are being carried by their world-class talisman in the form of Alexis Sanchez. Liverpool are imitating the Spurs of 2013/14 and are suffering the loss of their world-class talent in the form of Luis Suarez. Everton are nowhere to be seen. This has paved the way for teams like West Ham and Southampton to cement themselves in the top half, and they don’t look like going away in a hurry.

What this means is that, to use a Sky Sports-style cliché, the race for the top four is completely wide open (*cue dramatic music*). Chelsea and Manchester City have first and second, but third and fourth belongs to whom? There is nothing that suggests to me that Spurs are incapable of challenging, despite whatever challenge surely being based on fragility.

Silverware? 

It is annoying and insipid to constantly having to listen to Sky Sports proclaim Champions League football as the be-all and end-all of a season. At Tottenham, silverware is their manifestation of glory in football, and every season, there burns a hope in Spurs fans’ hearts that they can claim this glory again.

As mentioned before, Spurs are still competing in all the cup competitions. Most immediately, Spurs take on Sheffield United in the League Cup Semi Final, and optimism is naturally high that the club will have another Wembley Final. Absolutely anything can happen in a cup final, so it would be foolish of me to make predictions. Needless to say, though, it would be the best opportunity for a trophy this season for Spurs.

The Europa League is a long and arduous journey from now till May if a club wants to reach the final. Previous seasons have despicably proved that it is the Champions League failures that succeed in the Europa League. Given the right sustenance and management, however, it is possible for Tottenham to endure a European challenge. The FA Cup is still a long way off completion, but Spurs face Leicester in the Fourth Round this Saturday, so it will be interesting is our progress furthers.

Tottenham are far from any sense of a finished article. Their defence has often been suspect. There has been a heavy reliance on last-minute victories to sustain periods of form. However, if progress during transition is to be suspected, is it so foolish to dream that Spurs can only get better from here on in?

Probably. Still, at least it’ll be fun to watch.

What Does The Future Hold For Erik Lamela?

Erik Lamela's first season at Spurs, in parallel with this season as a whole, has been one of great disappointment. Signed from Roma in August, Lamela seems to represent the plentiful nature of young talent in our squad without there being any great, world-class specimen. He has featured rarely, and his absence has become a great source of pain for Spurs fans. As we begin to hunger for a new start, I begin to question where exactly does the Argentinian go from here?

Let me give you the skinny. 21-year-old Erik Lamela, one of the top (if not the top) young talents in Serie A, signed for Spurs for £25.8million in August. He, together with Christian Eriksen, came to replace the departed Gareth Bale, last year's Player Of The Year. The two players potentially and logically had what Bale possessed together: goals from midfield, flair, creativity and an eye for set pieces. The eyes of Spurs fans passively looked to Lamela for guidance.

I felt euphoric when I first saw this photo. How times change.

With the weight of expectation on his shoulders, a burden shared by all of the summer signings, he was not planted straight into the first team, but eased in by Andre Villas-Boas, kept out by the bright but inconsistent Andros Townsend. Lamela and Spurs fans alike waited and waited and did a bit more waiting to see a performance from him. The wait briefly ended on November 7^th against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League – a goal, an assist and a match-winning performance. This would be, arguably, the one and only time we saw Lamela at his maximum.

The Spurs fans were once again left starved of Lamela and starved of his talent. When AVB was sacked in December, some began to speculate that he could get his chance, get his moment he and we had craved. Sadly not. Either by injury or (allegedly) through Tim Sherwood's over-zealous repression, Lamela has not featured in the first team since December 4^th.

I have too waited and, like this season, nothing” is the cry from many a fan. “What a waste of money!” some would even say. The outrage and knife-wielding cries of our fanbase forms a clear, Machiavellin-esque purging of our squad, such a purging that even Stalin could be proud. Out the signings. Out the deadwood. Out Tim Sherwood. New man comes in. Chuck in a few expletives and that's the gist of it, anyway.

I have become tired in my disappointment. “Thirty-million pound and

This may just be me – speaking as someone who has brooded over this season in a melancholic state for four months since we sacked Villas-Boas – but I once again will state that the worst thing for this squad would be a purging. In that case, I believe Lamela stays. But what do I expect from the young winger? Bale-esque glory? 30-yard screamers? 90^th minute winners?

I knew in my depths of my heart when we signed him that we were unlikely to get a top quality player in his first season in England. Across the road at Arsenal, the signing of Mesut Ozil has proved as inconsistent as any of Spurs' signings, has it not? We took the gamble of signing Eriksen and Lamela, two young foreign players to replace Bale. One has flourished. The other has not. This is the cold, disappointing truth.

Lamela gets his leg up against Tromso in the Europa League

However, it is not ludicrous to state that Lamela has a chance to flourish next season. At Roma, he rightly rose to prominence in the team, labelled by many of their fans as 'the next Totti'. He was versatile, operating both on the right as an inverted winger, and as a creative No. 10 on many occasions. He scored 15 goals and assisted five times in his last season in Serie A. Quite simply, you never gain a reputation as one of the best young talents in Europe unless you are really talented. Quite simply, there is no smoke without fire.

Erik Lamela has been absent in his debut season, both in his minute appearances on the pitch, and in his long time out of the Tottenham squad. A disappointment and a dead cert on many 'Worst Transfers of the Season' lists. It is my belief, however, that what will come of Lamela in his Spurs career will be no disappointment; he may even become extraordinary.

Last December, Lamela said in an interview to the Standard a telling quote: “I feel I need a bit of time. My moment will come and I will make the difference.” Let's hope so too.

What's Next For Tottenham Hotspur?

Two moments stand out and serves to summarise Tottenham’s season. The first is the euphoria felt by our fans after signing seven players with big reputations worldwide, for an investment of £105m and an investment of expectation. The second is Tim Sherwood throwing his gilet to the floor during the North London Derby at White Hart Lane.

Questions, questions, questions. How? Why? What now? What next?

When dissecting Tottenham’s season, most people go back to our transfer dealings (usually in the form of ‘they spent £100m on sh*t’). At the start of September, not one writer or punter saw those dealings as a negative; although we sold Bale, we seemingly replaced him by buying talent in all positions. The oracle that is Garth Crooks summed up this stance by boldly: “Tottenham had sold Elvis and bought The Beatles”.

As the season went on, a realisation grew amongst the footballing world: by selling Gareth Bale, Spurs lost their match-winner and the focal point of their team and that the players that Technical Director Franco Baldini brought in could not possibly replace what the Welshman possessed. By September, AVB had a team built around a man that no longer existed in Lilywhite. If you doubt the importance of a star player to a team, look no further than Liverpool, who’s focal point in Suarez has placed them in a title challenge. Melancholic it may be to think Tottenham could be achieving what Liverpool are doing right now, but it’s only the truth.

Tottenham find themselves currently in a position of numbness. Some say the season ended after being obliterated by Liverpool at Anfield, illustrating a start contrast between the two clubs at present. Others say it ended in December with the sacking of AVB and replacement of Tim Sherwood, seemingly gambling away the season before even the halfway point. Our squad is lacking confidence, form and desire, redeemed only by the successes of Adebayor and Eriksen. The media have condemned our club to our current place of purgatory – ‘Spurs are where they have always been and should expect no more’.

With the news that Sherwood will be replaced in the summer, fans can now think towards the future and what to expect for next season. Will we have a summer of upheaval and refurbishment, selling the players we signed and replacing them with more prospects? Will we try and build around the few gems carved from the pit that is this season?

The new manager, whoever he may be, must first look at what we have in our squad. I refuse to place the failures of our season on the players that we signed in August 2013. Take Soldado for instance. Yes, he has a had a dire season, failing to deliver on the promise of prolific goalscoring. My point is that Roberto Soldado was bought for £26m as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe, scoring more than 20 goals for each of the past four seasons. Just because Soldado has not lived up to expectations this season, it does not mean that there is nothing to be had in him next season.

This concept goes with the other players too. The Premier League is littered with players who came from foreign leagues who had poor first seasons but prospered in their future careers. Lamela showed glimpses of talent before being sidelined since December. Paulinho is still considered one of Brazil’s top talents, despite having a mediocre first season in England. Eriksen has been our stand out player this season, despite his inconsistent start.

There will be areas that will need improving in the summer. A young striker must be a priority after selling Jermain Defoe in January to Toronto. Younes Kaboul looks likely to be leaving in the summer when his contract runs out, so a centre-back should also be looked into. We currently possess average full-backs in Kyle Naughton and Danny Rose, so it is likely the new manager will need to strengthen there. On the whole though, our squad possesses talented individuals and is not in the need of another upheaval.

If Tottenham actually have the foundations of a talented squad, what is needed is somebody to create the blueprints needed for future success. Building this project will take years; we cannot hope for Chelsea-style instant success. A long process of evolution is needed, implementing the modern possession-based style of play which has proved successful in Europe, distancing the boardroom from management and stabilising a club in constant transition.

Tottenham’s season is a quagmire, an example of how to regress as a club. Selling your best players, sacking your manager midway through a season, replacing him with a manager with no professional experience whatsoever, deteriorating the relationship between the board and the fans off the pitch (the list goes on). Next season will have to be the start of an evolution and a project for future success if Spurs ever want to be at the top level of English football.

Roberto Soldado: How Spurs' Spaniard hit rock-bottom

Roberto Soldado's career has hit an almighty low, plunging into a pit of indecision and anxiety. A signing that promised a feast has left Spurs fans hungry for more. The Spanish striker has gone from one of the most clinical in Europe to an object of ridicule, condemnation and even pity.

The question on many's lips is how. How can such a potent striker fall so far? How can we have expected so much but see so little? How can Soldado hope to revive his career again?

Let's start where it all began for Spurs and Soldado.

Summer arrived. It is in no way hyperbolic to say that Spurs fans were gagging for a world-class striker, a classic number 9, the player who had been missing for so long from White Hart Lane. This clearly was on the mind of Andre Villas-Boas, who set Franco Baldini the task of finding this golden player. Rumour after rumour of courting strikers went by. Panic began to set in amongst the fanbase. Would our saviour arrive?

Rumours of Soldado to Spurs began after the failure to sign David Villa at the start of July. Roberto Soldado, a Spanish striker praised by their media, featuring in their national team and much revered for his consistency. More than 20 goals a season for the past four seasons in Spain. He fit the bill, the model striker, the marquee signing. '#SignSoldado' trended on twitter, and Baldini was set on a mission to secure Roberto's signature.

Roberto Soldado signed for Spurs on the 1st August, the North London club's third signing of the summer after Paulinho and Nacer Chadli in July. The fee was £26million, more than any spent on a Spurs player at the time. I felt the wave of optimism and excitement on his first match against Espanyol. Everyone wanted a glimpse of Soldado; this sacred figure burst onto the pitch and everyone saw the talent there. He scored a penalty and his all-round play was pure energy. It was a delight. Optimism. Expectation. That's what Soldado took with him from Spain.

Soldado's first goal for Spurs against Espanyol

It all went downhill from there.

At the first, he had many chances, both in the league and in the cups. His movement both in and outside the box was professional. He came so close so many times. He opened his tally through penalties in the league and standard goals in the Europa League. The talent was there, and Andre Villas-Boas was prepared to let that talent find its feet in the league. Expectation was still high.

October came. Soldado was struggling to get find that first goal from open play. Never had I heard the term 'open-play goal' more often since the Spaniard signed for us. Such scrutiny from the press. 'FLOP', declares the Daily Chip-wrap, 'Jermain Defoe is better', 'Let Defoe play for his England chances'. The pressure got to AVB and he dropped Soldado for Defoe in the league for the first time. Tottenham lost 3-0 to West Ham that day. Lesson learned. Back to you, Robbie.

A week later, Soldado scored his first goal from open-play in the league against Aston Villa, and that remains his only goal of that manner in the league this season. I see it over and over and over again, Vine after Vine, and it looks sexy and succinct; one touch - BANG - goal. This was the player we signed, I thought, Roberto Soldado — classic number 9! This goal was the first of many, I thought.

Soldado scores his first league goal from open play against Villa. What a mouthful.

I thought.

The weeks and the games went by quicker and quicker, and each like a painful dagger to Soldado torso. Expectation grew on Soldado more and more. Hull at home — penalty. Everton — no goals. Newcastle — no goals, loss. Manchester City — no goals, thrashed. A team of flops, they said. £100million down the drain! Soldado and the team broke under the scrutiny of the press and the expectation of the fans.

Things go from bad to worse for Soldado, now off-the-pitch. Soldado's wife suffered a miscarriage and his heart was as broken as his game. Amongst this tragedy, Soldado found a brave and outstanding strength and scored a hat-trick against Anzhi in the Europa League. I was there that game. I could see the energy and the movement I saw in August. We screamed and sung his name from first minute to last. He embraced our passion, and at last, I thought, at last Soldado has found his feet.

Hat-trick against Anzhi. A glimmer of hope.

Three days later, Liverpool came to the Lane and thrashed Tottenham 5-0. The humiliation. The depression. The sacking of Andre Villas-Boas. The inexperienced gamble of Sherwood filled the void. You know the story, I needn't elaborate.

Like after the City thrashing, there was a response from the players. Soldado partnered Adebayor upfront and they fed off each other. Hopes of a new partnership were conceived in the minds of Spurs fans that these two could feed off each other's play, in the same way that Liverpool and Man City had prospered in attack. It soon became apparent though that Adebayor's form exceeded that of Soldado's immensely, and Sherwood dropped the Spaniard and left Adebayor as the lone striker.

Soldado has made a few sub appearances since then, but has looked very disappointing in front of goal. Outside the box, he produces tricks and flicks that create chances and opens up play; inside the box, he has no confidence and no composure. His much maligned and ridiculed misses against Dnipro and Norwich serves as examples to Soldado's fall from grace. He is a shadow of the man I saw in August, a pitiful figure, and one fears for his career.

Despair

So, that's where he is right now: football despair. Many have decided his flop is permanent, his pitfall leaves no means of escape. Many have called for his departure and replacement with a talent much younger. However, I do not.

Whilst some Spurs fans laments at the signing, 'why couldn't we have signed Negredo/Benteke/Remy?', I state simply this: we have Soldado. Behind the mask of incompetence Soldado dons lies the free-scoring, consistent, lethal striker of La Liga, up with the highest echelons of Europe's strikers. It may take a matter of games for that mask to fall off. It may take months. It may even take till next season, under a new manager and a new system. But my faith is there: he will return.

Soldado's Spurs career has been poor and unhappy. It started so bright on that August day, the sun shining on Soldado and White Hart Lane, hope and expectation showering on all Spurs fans. Now, like the miserable British weather, his career has been flooded and saturated, broken, with the fear it may never return to its former light.

Sherwood: Disliked, disloyal and the blood will be on Levy's hands

"The Club can announce that Tim Sherwood has been appointed Head Coach with a contract to the end of the 2014/15 season." 

I never like to put gut reactions into articles. However, for the purposes of this article, I will describe to you my gut reaction to the news of Tim Sherwood's appointment as Tottenham manager. 

Picture Anakin Skywalker burning, writhing in pain, screaming, completing his transition into evil. It seemed like the world around me, already built on unstable molten rock and pain, was falling apart. In just one week, we had gone from Andre Villas-Boas, an image of class, of method, of intelligence, Tim Sherwood, a man who has discredited himself in his time at Tottenham. In my eyes, the only man who had any favour for this appointment was Daniel Levy (conveniently the only man necessary for the appointment to happen). I was distraught.

Meltdown: My reaction to Sherwood's appointment on Monday

Since Monday, I've taken time to mull over this move, assess whatever pros and cons I can muster up. Bear with me.

Under AVB, Tottenham's style of play became stagnant. It lacked rhythm, had very little cutting-edge in the final third and primarily, it lacked goals. With 15 goals in 16 matches in the league, Liverpool fans were quick to point out that Luis Suarez alone had scored 17 goals in 11 league games this season. Due to this lack of attack, the team could not respond when our defence capitulated (cite West Ham, Man City and Liverpool games as proof). Critics would label Villas-Boas as 'stubborn', 'arrogant' and 'tactically-rigid' in his final months. Can the same be said of his replacement?

Sherwood seems willing to play two upfront, introducing Emmanuel Adebayor back to the first team with immediate results. He has also abandoned the holding midfielder role, a short term measure to deal with injuries to Sandro and Paulinho, hoping to create an attacking intent. The team is looking more free and open, guaranteeing goals and more movement in the final third.

It is clear that Tottenham must possess a bigger attacking threat and something more in the final third to challenge for the top four this season. A big change was needed. From two games under Sherwood, it is evident that we will see more attacking intent. Change is guaranteed, at least in the short term. In the long term, this will not work. With an 18-month contract, Sherwood would be wise to factor in the long term.

Across AVB's tenure, the man was given the task of modelling a new squad after losing key players of Redknapp's regime, notably Rafael van der Vaart, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. In 18 months, 15 players came in and 17 players went out. AVB modelled his transfers to a 4-3-3 formation, focussing on a three-man midfield and one upfront. In this sense, there is no way that Sherwood can accommodate for the entire squad by playing 4-4-2. Sherwood's real aim should be making 4-3-3 work to Tottenham's gain.

Off the pitch, Tottenham are in a state of crisis. Fans are being overpriced and priced-out under the categorisation system, criminalised by over-zealous stewards and the police, dealing with legitimised ticket touting under StubHub, preparing for the effects of the new stadium in a few years time. The club have dealt with nine managerial changes across twelve years under Daniel Levy. Constant change. No stability. 

I tell you this in an attempt to explain why any manager will struggle with this job, why a completely inexperienced coach in Sherwood, already disliked by a large section of the support for ratting out the Tottenham staff to the media and tensions with Glenn Hoddle in his managerial tenure, will struggle to succeed at this club. 

Don't get me wrong, Sherwood has things going for him off the pitch as well. After being heavily involved with the youth setup since being appointed to Redknapp's coaching staff in 2008, Sherwood has spoken about his desire to promote more youth team players into the first team, something always pleasant to see. Sections of the media have praised Levy's willingness to give an English coach a chance at the top level, giving him the media backing that AVB never seemed to have.

Despite these things, despite weighing up both sides, despite the chairman's support for this appointment, I can only see Sherwood ending one way. The competition for the Champions League places this season is the most competitive ever. Many of the teams competing are in some sort of change, but none more so that Tottenham, on and off the pitch. The likelihood of a sustained challenge this year is unlikely. It'll all end in tears. It always does. 

The appointment of Tim Sherwood was a massive gamble; the man even admitted it himself. To give a coach with no professional managerial experience whatsoever, a tainted history at the club and all the problems and instability of Levy's regime and expect him to deliver is madness. I never saw Villas-Boas' sacking as a positive; I don't see Sherwood's appointment as a positive.

Come June, the blood will be on Daniel Levy's hands.