Tottenham had one of their greatest seasons in recent history last season. They came so close to lifting the title. With all the top teams below them, they just had to overtake Leicester, However, they suffered a dip in form during the business end of the season and ruined any chance of the title. The slide was so quick that they were piped to the second spot by their arch rival Arsenal. It was evident that the absence of Dele Alli and Mousa Dembélé was a big blow as Spurs lost their last two games against Southampton and Newcastle United.
Although Mason and Son were brought into the team for the final two games, the dynamic of the team appeared to have changed, which just goes to show that even if you have depth in your squad, it’s of no use till those players don’t add strength to the team. Tottenham finished the Premier League season 11 points adrift of champions Leicester City. Only three clubs picked up more draws than Tottenham in the campaign, which just goes to show how little manager Pochettino had in terms of options to call on from the bench. Unsurprisingly, it’s meant that Spurs struggled in those games, where their starting found it difficult to break down the opposition team, which is why it is very important that the manager addresses this issues this summer, so that there is no repeat of a collapse next season.
With Tottenham participating in the Champions League and the domestic campaign together next season, the need for strengthening becomes even more important if they plan launch a proper attack on the league title next season. Son Heung Min was utilized only when the team from London was resting first team players or suffering from injuries. Although he and Nacer Chadli who was used in the same light scored 4 and 3 goals respectively, the fact that other than these two no other non starting player scored more than one goal just goes to show the lack of quality present on the bench for the manager to choose from.
For all the quality possessed by the starting XI, the likes of Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb, Tom Carroll and, have failed to prove themselves as suitable deputies. Even Son, who was so impressive at Bayer Leverkusen, has had a roller coaster of a season, sometimes absolutely brilliant, other times just plain invisible. The most pressing issue is the need to find a quality backup for Harry Kane in the striking position. The England striker is currently with his national team at the Euros, therefore it is unlikely he will have recharged his batteries sufficiently in the summer. Along with their club commitments most of the Tottenham players are full internationals which just increased the pressure even further.
Pochettino hasn’t had a good plan B in the Premier League because of the weakness in the squad. They have sold a lot of players in recent years without replacing them with another quality player. Tottenham had an outstanding last season but investment needs to be made if they want to carry on the upward trend.
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