Tottenham Hotspur Have Missed Michael Dawson but Must Continue to Move on

Sunday's clash with Hull City could see Tottenham Hotspur's past and present collide. With Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore available to their manager Steve Bruce, the north Londoners are likely to come up against at least a couple of their ex-players

In his Friday press conference, Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino dismissed the notion he should be fearful of any of them coming back to haunt their former team. Given the inconsistencies that have led to his side's current mid-table situation, though, a negative result would see them compared unfavourably with the erstwhile Lilywhites now plying their trade as Tigers.

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Pochettino's defence would especially come under increased scrutiny if they are shown up by a sturdier Hull back line featuring Dawson while their own recent struggles continue.

With Tottenham lacking cohesiveness and focus at the back, the ex-skipper has been missed since his departure.

Spurs' defence was not perfect with Dawson in it. His presence alone was not enough to compensate for the larger problems they had stopping other teams (familiar fare such as inconsistent selections, injuries and general poor play), as seen by some of the hammerings suffered last season.

Largely, though, they were far more organised with Dawson at the helm than not. He would be there in the do-or-die positions around his own penalty area and could never be accused of being anything less than fully-committed—an accusation that might be levelled at some of those at the club now.

The notable drop-off in Vlad Chiriches' performance without him also speaks of Dawson's influence. With the elder team-mate alongside him, the Romanian was part of a defence that lost once in the league between mid-autumn and late-January last season. Dating back to last spring when the Englishman was still at White Hart Lane, in games without him, Chiriches has been decidedly erratic.

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Below Spurs in the table, things have not gone entirely smoothly for Dawson at Hull. But prior to his recent ankle injury the signs were he was settling in at his new club.

"Dawson’s steadying influence had helped the Tigers to look assured when picking up four points with a win over Crystal Palace and a draw at Arsenal," the Hull Daily Mail's Mark Fewings recently reflected. His colleague Brad Rial was glowing about the 31-year-old's performance against the Gunners, reflecting on how he "repelled everything the Gunners flung his way and it seemed fitting that his last act was a heroic block to deny Aaron Ramsey."

Bar the odd performance, such superlatives could not be ascribed to Tottenham's current defenders so far this season. They were nervy in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa but got away with going a goal behind. Following Federico Fazio's selection ahead of Jan Vertonghen for Stoke City the change left them even more discombobulated as they lost 2-1.

But Dawson is gone, and having made the decision to let him go, they need to continue to try and move on without him.

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"It is always sad for the people that, for close to 10 years with this person or player, you share a lot of emotion," Pochettino said on Friday after reflecting on his own such experiences as a player with Espanyol. "But this is football, this is professional football. When you decide something you need to look forward."

When asked about current captain Younes Kaboul—the man who has stepped into Dawson's role and thus, for better or worse, been the public face of the defence's performances—Pochettino admitted "he needs to improve," but he also noted that was the case of the squad as a whole.

Frequently referring to the need to find a "solution" to improve his team's form, the Argentinian revealed there had been plenty of discussions between him and the players as they returned from international duty, "to realise different situations on the pitch." From that, Pochettino was keen to emphasise the need for greater understanding between them in games—something that could certainly be applied to the defence.

"One thing is important to be confident in my team-mate. It is important to realise [we need] to play always like a team. To be confident in my team-mate. In this moment we need to help each other."

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That will definitely be key to the Tottenham defence establishing its identity post-Dawson. The likes of Eric Dier, Kaboul, Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen are undoubtedly talented, but they are also prone to lapses in concentration and judgement (though the 20-year-old Dier can be somewhat excused here given his youth).

They have not been aided by Pochettino switching things up, particularly in central defence. Ultimately, though, they need to be more accountable.

For Spurs to become tighter and meaner in keeping others away from Hugo Lloris' goal, they all need to do more to compensate for each other's flaws, to have their team-mates' backs. In their best defensive performance of the season—the 1-1 north London derby—that was very much the case.

If there is no one notable leader among them, they all need to take responsibility in ensuring strikers are marked and the line is held. That no-one is snuck up on when in possession, and that someone is there if the other is caught out in some capacity.

In agreeing to let Dawson go, Pochettino demonstrated his faith in the players he kept around. They need to do their part and repay it, starting with an improved showing against Hull.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.