After a brilliant season last term, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were expected to give the fellow Premier League clubs a run for their money, but they seem to lack the consistency in winning games. They were limped out of the Champions League and are currently lying 5th on the log – seven points behind the leader Chelsea.
The margin surely isn’t a bigger deal, but looking at the number of games both Chelsea and Liverpool are about to play in the second half of the season, Tottenham do have a thing or two to worry about. Their recent thrashing of Swansea came after a long dry spell and many would not argue if I say that their slump in the form was mainly because of the lack of the depth of the squad.
The Lilly-Whites needed some numbers due to their participation in the Champions League and the manager did manage to bring in few new faces, but apart from Wanyama, other signings failed to impress the fanbase.
Hence, it is quite evident to understand the fact that the manager might do a bit of business in the January transfer window in order to improve his roster.
The first and utmost thing the manager should take care of is to bring the defensive reinforcement. This is no secret that soon after Toby Alderweireld was limped off against West Brom, Tottenham found it hard to get a worthy replacement. The manager tried playing a three at the back tactic against Arsenal, but that was exposed as well just because Kevin Wimmer wasn’t strong enough to shoulder the pressure.
The manager trusted the Austrian in a couple of games in the absence of the Belgian, but the former Bundesliga man slipped off every time he stepped on to the field. Eric Dier, on the other hand, is a trusted deputy, but his quality comes in full effect when he is playing in the centre of the field. So what we really suggest Pochettino is to bring a strong and powerful centre-back, who can well step up in the absence of the big names.
Then the left back is also an issue, but the Lilly-Whites do have a cover in Ben Davies. The right side of defence also has a pretty decent cover in Kevin Trippier, hence these do not really need much of an attention.
The central midfield is duly crowded with some stellar names, hence we personally think that no addition is required in the area, but Tottenham really need an attacking midfielder, who can support the striker in Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 setup, as Dele Alli – at this age – cannot give his 100% in every game he plays. He is majorly criticised for being a missing personnel in the game, hence his understudy is a sure requirement.
Going wide on to the field, Tottenham do have some stellar names in Eriksen, Lamela, Son and Sissoko, but who amongst all showed their true level this term? Eriksen is coming back to his best and his performances in the past couple of games have surely helped his cause, but same cannot be said about the others.
Heung-Min Son showed his brilliance early in the season, but his form slumped as the year went on. Lamela is nursing his injury and Sissoko is surely not a fan favourite – just because of his constant inconsistency. N’Koudou is there as an aide, but can the young lad cope with the pressure of the Premier League?
What Tottenham need is to boost up the confidence of the players or the manager will have to take the blame of their lapse. Lamela will soon return on the field, hence the competition in the squad for the two spots will be amongst five players, this can re-ignite the spark amongst the players and this can help the manager to get the best out of the squad.
Then the last spot needs no introduction, as everyone witnessed how Tottenham struggled to find the net in the absence of Harry Kane. Janssen has been a poor victim of the ruggedness of the Premier League, hence a loan deal for a superior and experienced player like Carlos Bacca or Mario Mandzukic might help the manager to stay on the tracks in the second half of the season.
Changes are required for sure, but not in the first team; understudies.
