Tottenham Hotspur's Pre-Season Tour Holds Huge Importance for the Club

Now that the World Cup has come to an end, football-crazy fans looking for their weekly fix of excitement and drama might well have to find contentment in the drab affair that the pre-season can often be. But for a club like Tottenham Hotspur, it's easy to see just why the next few weeks are of tremendous importance. 

It's no secret that when big clubs go on tour to play friendlies in a bid to get ready for the competitive season, boring fixtures and meaningless results can often follow suit.

But, of course, it's not the final score-lines that will make the difference; it's more about getting the groundwork ready and setting out the blueprints for the team.

Last season's Premier League campaign was one of the most surprising and notion-capsizing in recent memory, as Liverpool performed better than many had expected, Manchester United did worse than they ever have and Everton more than held their own to secure Europa League action.

In short, it was a season like no other. 

Some teams saw their opportunity amidst the chaos and took it with aplomb, while others could only flounder and flail as the season passed them by.

Tottenham were one such team, as they had a somewhat stagnant season; failing to put their promise into play or work as well together as their potential suggested they should, their underachievement was dispiriting.

Of course, it's easy to see why many of their problems took root before the season had even begun.

A poorly distributed transfer kitty combined with a series of disheartening pre-season results didn't particularly fill the White Hart Lane supporters with a huge amount of faith in the ability of their team—and, in truth, it was a real sign of the disappointment that was to come.

Drawing 1-1 with Espanyol, getting hammered 5-2 by AS Monaco and losing 3-1 to Sunderland, while all bad results, were, more importantly, poor performances that pulled their good platform from out under their feet; they weren't the performances of a team that had hopes of Champions League football. 

And although what followed was certainly not the complete product of a poor pre-season, it can't be denied that it didn't help in the long run.

In truth, correlations between a string of negative results before the competitive games roll around and a bad positioning in the final league standings aren't entirely justified, but it's still something that can permeate through a club to influence a number of factors, such as the confidence the board have in the manager and the support the fans can have in the players.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

After all, not being capable of winning games when no points or silverware are on the line isn't something that instills confidence or courage. 

Looking at the positives of their forthcoming matches, many of the squad members not involved in the action in Brazil are sure to be eager to impress new boss Mauricio Pochettino. 

Speaking to the club's official website ahead of a big few weeks for the club, forward Harry Kane was keen to ensure that he was ready for the big challenge ahead: "It will be a tough pre-season but that’s what you want, you want to get fit and be ready for the season ahead. We’ll all be put through our paces but we're all looking forward to it."

Having not had many chances to impress last season, the 20-year-old from Chingford should jump right into their upcoming matches against Seattle, Toronto and Chicago.

And with Emmanuel Adebayor recently ruled out of action for the next few weeks due to a bout of malaria, as reported by David Kent of the Daily Mail, the opportunity for the young English striker to shine has automatically received a massive boost. 

Another hugely important factor in all of this is also the competition they'll be facing. 

With football rising in popularity in the USA and Canada every year—25 million tuned in to watch the former's enthralling 2-2 draw with Portugal, according to Josie Ensor of The Telegraph—there's sure to be plenty of competitive action for Pochettino's men before the end of July.

To put it simply, they've picked opponents they can measure themselves against and learn from. 

Because unlike last summer, when they played the likes of Swindon Town, Colchester United, South China, MK Dons and Cambridge City, Spurs have put together a series of encounters that will test them enough. They have matches against Celtic and Schalke to come as well.

Effectively, when all is said and done, Pochettino's players need a strong showing over the next few weeks, both on the pitch as well as on the transfer market. Anything less would sap their self-belief and perpetuate the idea of them as a club that is forever failing to realise their potential and achieve their goals. 

This is a big season for a club in transformation, and it starts now.