After enduring a disappointing campaign last term, Tottenham Hotspur have decided to appoint Ange Postecoglou as the new boss to rebuild the squad.
Signs were there during the pre-season that Spurs would be playing an attacking and expensive brand of football – which is completely contrasting with the style the previous boss Antonio Conte used – under the Australian’s guidance and they have done exactly that in the first few games of this campaign.
Tottenham have enjoyed a stellar start to this season as they are currently unbeaten in the league, accumulating 10 points from four encounters. So, it is looking likely that Spurs are going to be a real deal this term. Fans certainly think so, as Tottenham tickets are like gold dust right now with supporters snapping up the chance to watch the team playing exciting football again.
Summer reinforcements
They have spent big this summer to hand Postecoglou enough firepower to help him fight for the top-four finish this season.
After Hugo Lloris’ concerning performances over the last couple of years, Spurs have decided to sign a new goalkeeper in the recently concluded summer window to replace the Frenchman. David Raya was seemingly their primary target and they even agreed on terms with the player to lure him to the newly renovated White Hart Lane.
But, they couldn’t find an agreement with Brentford so they decided to shift focus to alternative targets and eventually signed Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli.
The Italian initially looked a bit shaky but he has now settled down in his new surroundings and has been performing extremely well in recent fixtures.
Defence was a point of concern for Spurs last term and Postecoglou has opted to bolster it by signing Micky van de Ven from VfL Wolfsburg. He has played every game for the North London club so far this term and looked promising.
Tottenham signed Destiny Udogie last summer and allowed him to spend a season-long loan at Udinese last term. But, he has joined the Lilywhites squad this season and has become a regular first-team player. The youngster has performed well in the first few games and has helped Tottenham to solidify their backline.
Tottenham didn’t have any creative midfielder at their disposal so they have signed James Maddison from Leicester City after spending big this summer and he has turned out to be a successful acquisition.
He has already established himself as a talismanic figure for Spurs and the North Londoners will be hoping that he will be able to perform at his best throughout the season.
Tottenham have signed Manor Solomon on a free transfer to strengthen their attack, while they decided to make Dejan Kulusevski’s loan deal permanent this summer.
After selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, it was thought that Tottenham would look to sign a new centre-forward to replace the Englishman this summer.
However, Spurs opted to sign Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest on deadline day. The Welsh international can play as the striker but he is more comfortable playing out wide so it is going to be interesting to see how Postecoglou is planning to use him.
Tottenham have also signed Alejo Veliz and Ashley Phillips but they are still very young and aren’t likely to feature much for Postecoglou’s side this season.
Yves Bissouma’s resurgence
After joining the club last summer, Yves Bissouma endured a disappointing debut campaign at the newly renovated White Hart Lane last term, making only a handful of appearances. However, he has completely been transformed by Postecoglou and has managed to regain his Brighton form this season.
Youngster Pape Matar Sarr has also enjoyed a stellar start to this season and has managed to win the trust of Postecoglou.
The start of this season
After Kane’s departure, there were doubts as to who would be able to fill his void and it was thought that they could struggle to score goals this season without him.
However, Postecoglou has managed to find the solution to score goals and Tottenham are currently the second-highest scorer in the Premier League after Brighton and Hove Albion. The Lilywhites have scored 11 goals in four matches and all forwards have shared the responsibility of scoring amid Kane’s absence.
Postecoglou kept faith in Richarlison to fill the void that was left by the Spurs’ record goal-scorer. But, the Brazilian struggled to showcase his best in the first few games.
So, the Australian boss decided to play Son Heung-min through the middle, leaving Richardson on the bench and that move turned out to be a successful one as the South Korean managed to score a hat-trick in the last game.
So, there are a lot of early positive signs for Tottenham and if they can continue their momentum throughout the season then they are definitely a contender to finish in the top-four and perhaps, they could achieve even more than that.
However, there are issues in Tottenham’s squad that can prevent them from achieving success this season and their main issue is the lack of squad depth.
Depth
Tottenham seriously lack depth in their backline as they only have Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven as the centre-forward option following the departure of Davinson Sanchez to Galatasaray.
They also have Eric Dier in their squad but it seems he isn’t on Postecoglou’s long-term plan as he wasn’t named in Spurs’ matchday squad for the first few games. So, any injury to one of Romero or van de Ven could derail Spurs’ promising campaign.
They also need a striker as Richarlison has been struggling to showcase his best and Son isn’t a specialist centre-forward. So, purchasing a striker is seemingly vital for Tottenham.
It has been suggested that Spurs have acknowledged these frailties and are planning to bolster those two positions in the upcoming January window.
After finishing eighth in the Premier League last term, Spurs have failed to qualify for any European competitions this season. In addition, they have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Fulham this season.
So, the North Londoners will have to play way fewer games than their top-four rivals this season and that could allow them to play at their best with a very thin squad if they don’t make any new signings in January.
Tottenham have the necessary ammunition in their first eleven to compete for the top-four finish, however, injury to any of their key players, especially to the back and midfield, could derail their season completely.
Therefore, Tottenham will be hoping that they will be able to reach January without many major injury issues and then they will sign the necessary firepower in the winter window to help Postecoglou finish in the top-four spot.
