Ah, another one of those reviews. It is only natural, isn’t it? When something is over, we must evaluate it so that we can use it as a tool to carve out a better future. And even if we can’t, we still have it for further studies. The focus will be on one club today: Tottenham Hotspur. 2017 was a very mixed year for the Lilywhites. The Spurs ended the 2016-17 season as the second best team in England, despite playing like the best team in the country.
For the end part, however, things didn’t go that well for Pochettino and his men. They ended 2017 being 6th placed in the Premier League table. However, they started the year with a win. Nevertheless, here are 4 things we learned from Tottenham Hotspur last year.
1. Money Matters
Indeed, it does. People lose the love of their lives over money, so what can I say about a corporation like football? Last window, Spurs broke their transfer record with the purchase of Davinson Sanchez, but that was nowhere near what Manchester City and Manchester United did.
Indeed, City spent more than £100 million on full-backs alone, and United spent £75 million on Romelu Lukaku while Chelsea also got their man in Alvaro Morata in the same range. Spurs, however, couldn’t do the same and had to resort to a Fernando Llorente way past his prime as a backup to Harry Kane.
2. Repercussions of Not Seizing
When you have the opportunity, you have to seize it—that’s the motive of everything in life—because they don’t always come in life. For Spurs, it came twice, and they failed to seize it both times. The first time was when Leicester City won the league out of the blue with Spurs trailing behind them.
And the second time was last year when they, despite being the best football club in the country couldn’t capitalise and seize the chance. As a result, they once again fell short for the second year in a row to a not-so-convincing Chelsea.
And now, with Man City’s dominance, it doesn’t look like they will have a chance at the title anytime soon.
3. Bench Strength
Spurs have decent strength when it comes to the bench, but when you compare it to the Manchester clubs, the London outfit are easily behind in the mix. While they have some wonderful defenders both on the bench and the field, midfield and attack are where they are bit short.
Indeed, when City are in need of a goal, they have Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and many more players to look at—this is a privilege that Tottenham don’t possess, which has cost them dearly.
4. One Player Is Sometimes Enough
You know what I am talking about here. I have only two words: Harry Kane. The fact that Tottenham ended second twice in a row has a lot to do with Harry Kane. The Englishman has often carried his team to the shores of victory with his brilliance.
He has everything that one could ask from a striker: aerial ability, ball-control, dribbling, link-up play and astounding movements and finishing abilities. And that is sometimes enough to help the team win.
