Tottenham lost 2-1 at home to Stoke City on the weekend, which was their fourth defeat at White Hart Lane this season. Supporters’ anger has somewhat turned to new manager Mauricio Pochettino as the Londoners find themselves six points worse off then this time last season.
This summer, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy named former Southampton boss Pochettino as the club’s third manager in a year, succeeding Andres Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood respectively, but Spurs have seemingly gone backwards in the Premier League, and their recent form is one of the worst in the top flight (4 games, 3 defeats).
Naturally, people look at the management and coaching staff to blame for the poor form, but the squad must take responsibility too. Tottenham have a lot of players who aren’t likely to be at the club in the next couple of seasons, but the moving-on process won’t be sped up.
Emmanuel Adebayor‘s contract is up next summer, while Jan Vertonghen, Aaron Lennon, Younes Kaboul and Kyle Naughton’s deal will be up at the end of next season. The majority could well be allowed to leave which means a minor rebuilding process is required again.
Pochettino was given a long-term deal in his appointment at Tottenham, so clearly Levy knows they have a lot of work to do that can’t be solved in just one summer. But the scale of their problems run much deeper than just personnel.
The Londoners’ indiscipline has been a big issue. Tottenham have had five red cards issued to them in all competitions this season alone. When the chips are down, you need your players to remain composed and calm, but the opposite is happening this season.
Odds of Pochettino to be the next manager out of the door slashed overnight, but Daniel Levy’s managerial changes have made little difference to their league standings in the past few years as shown.
2009/10: 70 points
2011/12: 69 points
2012/13: 72 points
2013/14: 69 points
The lack of improvement from Tottenham in four of the last five seasons shows how the club aren’t moving in a particular direction, but rather standing still, so the changing of managers isn’t helping to better their fortunes.
The London club need a total rebuild, which is something Levy hasn’t allowed previously due to his penchant for sacking managers. He gave Pochettino a five-year deal, however, so he should allow the former Saints boss time to get the club how he wants them to be. Tottenham’s woes won’t be solved with a quick fix.
