Disappointing Summer Signings Could Keep Tottenham Hotspur Outside the Top 4
It is not the defeat to Chelsea that will hurt Tottenham Hotspur the most, for they have grown used to that over the last 26 years. It is more what it revealed about them.
It would normally be assumed that a side that had suffered a first defeat in the Premier League after 13 games, only a few days before the start of December, would be holding a commanding lead at the top of the Premier League table.
But after their 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, Tottenham are unable to even boast about holding a place in the top four.
Instead, despite that solitary defeat, they find themselves in fifth, seven points behind the leaders, Chelsea.
The trip to west London was meant to be a cathartic exercise and apply some balm at the scene of where their title challenge spectacularly imploded last season.
A win and a freshly preserved unbeaten record were meant to galvanise a side ready to improve on its achievements from last season.
But the truth is the game at Stamford Bridge acted as a microcosm of Tottenham from last season; they started strongly and looked in control but faded late on and ended with nothing.
There are growing fears that rather than learn from the lessons of last season, Tottenham could be about to repeat them.
At the climax of the previous campaign, when it mattered, Tottenham could not score enough goals and failed to win any of their last four games in the Premier League.
So far this season, Tottenham have struggled for goals, scoring just 19. At the same time their rivals have been gorging themselves.
Above them sit Liverpool with 32 goals, Chelsea and Manchester City with 29 goals and Arsenal with 28 goals. Even Crystal Palace, on the edge of the relegation zone, have scored two more goals than Tottenham, with a total of 21 so far.
The problem is even more pronounced in the Champions League where, in five games, Tottenham have managed just three goals and just one from open play.
This relative failure in front of goal has seen Tottenham draw just under half of their games in the Premier League.
"If you want to analyse the result, Chelsea win," Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino told the press after Saturday's defeat at Stamford Bridge. "If you want to analyse the 94 minutes, Tottenham had a lot of positives. But in football, you need to score. In football, sometimes it's difficult to explain, but this is not difficult. They were clinical in front of the goal, and we weren't."
Tottenham need to quickly address this if they are to regain their place in the top four.
The crying shame for Spurs is they have a brilliant and prolific striker in Harry Kane. Most of their Premier League rivals look on in envy at Kane, but Tottenham are failing to get the best out of him.
The England striker has scored four goals in four games since his return from injury and looks refreshed and strong, but he needs more help. Kane needs a partner to either help him if Pochettino decides to play with two up front or relieve the pressure on him from the bench.
That player was meant to be Vincent Janssen, on whom Tottenham spent £17 million during the summer, but the Dutchman has not filled that role. He was handed the perfect opportunity to establish himself when Kane was ruled out for seven weeks with his ankle injury, but he failed to grasp it.
Janssen is still waiting for his first goal from open play in the Premier League, and a record of one goal, a penalty, in 11 games is rather damning.
On Saturday, Pochettino's dwindling faith in the striker was revealed when he left him on the bench until the 83rd minute, even though Tottenham were in desperate need of an equaliser at Stamford Bridge.
It is too early to dismiss him, but Janssen would not be the first striker to look world class in the Eredivisie and second class in the Premier League.
Janssen's woes are emblematic of the majority of Pochettino's summer signings. With the honourable exception of Victor Wanyama, they have not added the quality the Tottenham manager hoped they would this season.
Moussa Sissoko has done little to justify being Tottenham's joint-record signing at £30 million. Pochettino seems to have inherited the meek version who toiled at relegated Newcastle United last season rather than the energetic version who surprised for France at the European Championship in the summer.
Could Pochettino already be regretting his purchase? He deemed Sissoko not even worthy of a place on the bench against Chelsea on Saturday, and he has started him just once in Tottenham's five Champions League games.
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou remains a player for the future, but at £11 million, the 21-year-old's impact should certainly have been greater.
The summer transfer window was Pochettino's chance to build upon Tottenham's success from last season, but looking at their signings' collective impact, it was a wasted opportunity.
Among those players, there was not a game-changer, a bold statement of intent, a player capable of inspiring the existing squad.
Spurs do not look anything like a team that had nearly £70 million spent on it during the summer.
It is harsh to blame it all on the new boys, for the old guard have also contributed to the side's stunted creativity.
Despite his goal against Chelsea, Christian Eriksen has often looked listless for Tottenham this season and is not offering a significant threat to opposition defences with his passes or runs from midfield. The Dane seems to be going through the motions, and Pochettino can only hope he finds some inspiration in the second half of the season.
This malaise is being shared by Dele Alli, who is suffering from the classic second-season syndrome at White Hart Lane, but he will surely shrug it off soon.
The Tottenham defence remains as strong as ever and can still claim to be the joint-best defence in the Premier League this season, conceding just 10 goals. But this will all be in vain if Tottenham's attacking players do not start scoring more freely.
.jpg?w=600 "Cards Had Wrong Love Number 😅")
.jpg?w=600 "Best Players Left After Round 1 🔢")
.jpg?w=600 "Rams' Post-Draft Presser 😐")