Tottenham Hotspur: Full Report Card for Every Position for October

Tottenham entered October on the back of a heartening 1-1 draw away to Arsenal. A 1-0 win over Southampton in the first match of the month seemed to indicate real progress, but since the international break, they appear to have gone backwards. 

Before Spurs eked out that crucial point at the Emirates, stories were emanating from the club that senior players were frustrated with Mauricio Pochettino's methods.

Now the line seems to be that Pochettino is losing patience with his players. 

The Newcastle defeat must represent Pochettino's lowest moment as Spurs boss, and he demanded a reaction in the Capital One Cup match against Brighton, per HITC.

Spurs were solid in victory against the Seagulls, but Pochettino's team remain a work in progress.

With just six matches in October, some players have had limited opportunities to perform. With that in mind, here is a full report card for every position for the month. 

Goalkeepers

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Hugo Lloris

Appearing in all but one of October's games, Hugo Lloris accounts for the majority of October's goalkeeping grade. Happily, he's been brilliant.

While Lloris has been a standout in virtually every match he's played during the month, he saved his best performance for the home Europa League tie against Besiktas. With the Keystone Cop-esque performance of Vlad Chiriches in front of him, Lloris was handed a stern examination. Peppered with shots and under unrelenting pressure, Lloris gave a performance that can be described as incredible.

It was hard to believe just how well he played. 

Excellent in the home league win over Southampton and solid in the defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle, the only real blot on Lloris' copybook was his sending off in the 5-1 Europa League win against Asteras Tripolis at White Hart Lane.

Having rarely been tested throughout the match, Lloris overcommitted to stop a late breakaway and was rightly sent off. Although it did provide one of the great Europa League moments when hat-trick hero Harry Kane stepped into the breach. 

Michel Vorm

Dutch goalkeeper Michel Worm made just one appearance in October—against Brighton in the League Cup. It is tough to judge him from that single match, one in which he had very little to do. A minor miscue when playing out from the back was the most notable moment. 

Grade: B-

Defenders

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October has seen some mixed performances from Tottenham's defence, and securing just one clean sheet from five matches will be a cause for concern for Mauricio Pochettino.

Right-Back 

In the injury-enforced absence of both Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton, Eric Dier has been called upon to continue as an emergency right-back. The young defender has generally done a creditable job as an emergency replacement, but he has also continued to show his limitations. Dier is an excellent player but not a great full-back. The equaliser scored by Newcastle in Spurs' 2-1 defeat to the Magpies showed immaturity and a lack of concentration. 

Kyle Naughton suffered an ankle injury against Southampton in Spurs' first match of the month, and his absence has surprisingly been strongly felt. His return against Brighton was encouraging and he gave Spurs the balance that was lacking during his injury lay-off. 

Centre-Back 

Younes Kaboul looked to be back to something approaching his best in the home win over Southampton but struggled mightily against Manchester City at the Etihad as Spurs were ripped open by the pace of Sergio Aguero. Having made him captain, Pochettino continues to persist with Kaboul, but the Frenchman will eventually run out of chances.

Jan Vertonghen was surprisingly omitted against Manchester City, but his presence against Southampton and Newcastle saw an improved performance at the back. Still struggling to reach the heights of his first season at Spurs, Vertonghen appears to have shaken off the injury problems that he struggled with earlier in the season. Vertonghen remains Spurs' finest defender, albeit with some notable flaws.

Federico Fazio both enjoyed and endured October. Paired with Vlad Chiriches against Besiktas, Fazio was single-handedly attempting to hold off their attack. Similarly, against Man City, Fazio was exposed and eventually sent off. Despite his apparent difficulties, Fazio has shown plenty of promise and will, in all likelihood, establish himself as a regular starter in the months to come. 

Vlad Chiriches made just one appearance in October and may have sealed his fate. He was so poor against Besiktas that he was even left out of the line-ups against Asteras and Brighton. 

Left-Back 

Ben Davies continues to show his improvement in the month of October but is yet to face any genuine opposition. More than comfortable against Asteras and Brighton, Davies seems to have eradicated the nerves that were apparent in some of his first Spurs appearances. 

Unfortunately for Davies, Danny Rose remains Tottenham's first-choice left-back. Rose has continued to improve, and although he was left out of Roy Hodgson's England squad for the October internationals, Rose has held off Davies' challenge at club level.

Left-back is probably Spurs' strongest position, with both Davies and Rose playing well.

Grade: C 

Midfielders

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Spurs have significant depth in midfield but have often failed to show their best in this area. 

In October, Etienne Capoue has been a virtual ever-present. That fact reflects his growing role within the team and is a credit to how well he has played. Absent only against Besiktas and Brighton, Capoue probably took a step backwards in October; he was very poor against Manchester City and little better against Newcastle. 

Ryan Mason is the success story of the month. He has played every Premier League game since he was handed his season debut in September against Nottingham Forest on the merit of his performances. Even when Spurs have been below par, Mason has been a standout. 

Benjamin Stambouli has been underused in October. One of the few criticisms of Pochettino's squad rotation has been the relative absence of Stambouli. The Frenchman was excellent against Brighton and is now surely under consideration for a Premier League start. 

Mousa Dembele has been given more playing time than his performances have warranted. There have been flashes of his best, but the Belgian is still a shadow of the player that he was in his first season. 

Christian Eriksen enjoyed his best month of the season in October. He has regained his best form this month and started to regularly deliver what is expected of him. 

Grade: B

Forwards

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Strikers

The most difficult area to judge for Tottenham in the month of October has been up front. Harry Kane has been prolific, scoring five goals during October to become Spurs' leading scorer for the season. 

Kane has now become talismanic in the cup competitions for Spurs. His development is remarkable, and he must surely be on the verge of starting in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino is beginning to tire of being asked that question as Kane's form becomes harder to ignore. 

An emerging trademark for Kane is the powerful low shot across the face of goal. Twice in October he scored the same goal in Europe to give Spurs the lead. He is also displaying a notable talent for being in the right place at the right time; the trademark of all prolific scorers. 

Apart from Kane, Spurs' strikers have combined for a single goal in October. In fact, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado have only one goal each since the start of the season. 

Saying that, Soldado appears to be recovering and put together several solid performances without scoring in October. He picked up assists against both Manchester City and Brighton, and his connection with Erik Lamela seems worthy of further exploration. 

Wingers

Lamela himself has enjoyed his best month since joining Spurs from Roma last season. The Argentine has scored three times and produced two match-winning displays, providing aggression and drive from the flanks. He is vital to the success of Pochettino's footballing philosophy so a successful October for Lamela can only be good news. 

Nacer Chadli has continued his improved season in October. While he has failed to add to his four league goals this month, he continues to be a threat going forward and contribute defensively on the left flank. 

Andros Townsend has, by his own admission, not produced his best form for Spurs in October. The England winger must improve to realistically compete for a place in Pochettino's starting XI.

Grade: C+