3 Areas Where Tottenham And Pochettino Needs To Improve In The January Window

A lot has been said about the squad depth of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspurs side over the last few days. Spurs, after a decent start to the campaign, were eliminated from the Champions League and also saw their unbeaten run in the Premier League come to an end at the hands of the Chelsea.

The defeats have managed to bring into light one of the biggest issues with Tottenham this season. A lack of options in the squad.

Injuries to key players like Erik Lamela, Toby Alderweireld and Ben Davies have meant that the North Londoners haven’t been able to field their strongest possible XI in the past few weeks.

Pochettino has had to rely upon the likes of Kevin Wimmer, summer signing Georges Kevin Nkoudou and academy products Harry Winks and Tom Carroll in the absence of his stars, but none of them have managed to step up and make it count for Spurs. Against Chelsea, the stark difference in the squad depth was clearly visible as Antonio Conte could call upon the likes of Willian and Oscar while Pochettino had to rely on the above mentioned inexperienced players.

So, it has become imperative for the Argentine to improve on the squad that he currently has at his disposal. Here we look at three key areas that he will need to address in the January transfer window:

Centre-back

Toby Alderweireld is one of the best defenders in the Premier League and he along with Jan Vertonghen were key in Spurs’ title challenge last term, but an injury to the former Atletico Madrid player this season has meant the Londoners have been exposed at the back.

In his absence, Pochettino called upon Kevin Wimmer to lend some solidarity to the defence, but the Austrian has had a torrid time so far. He was woeful in Spurs’ last game against Chelsea. With Vertonghen, Wimmer and Alderweireld the only senior centre-halves available for Tottenham, along with Eric Dier, who has become more of a midfielder, Pochettino needs to bring in a quality centre-back in this transfer window.

Winger

An injury to Erik Lamela has meant Tottenham have lost a bit of a bite going forward. With summer signing Moussa Sissoko having sparingly featured, the wide areas have become a cause of concern for Pochettino and Tottenham. While they did sign N’koudou in the summer, they surely cannot rely only upon him to bail them out, that too in his debut season in English football.

With the likes of Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen, both players who like to cut inside, playing out on the flanks, Tottenham lack a natural wide player. So, someone who can run at opponents, hug the touchline and provide the necessary width should be high on Spurs’ shopping list.

Striker

Harry Kane is one of the league’s best center forwards and has led the line brilliantly for the Londoners in the last few seasons, but his recent injury showed just how thin Spurs are at that position. Mauricio Pochettino used Son Heung-Min up front at that time and while he did manage to score a few goals, he is not a natural centre-forward.

Summer signing Vincent Janssen has struggled to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League till now as well, leaving Spurs extremely short of striking options. Bringing in another goalscorer in the upcoming transfer window could ease the pressure on Kane and could add the much-needed firepower upfront.