Tottenham Hotspur: Full Report Card for Every Position for January

Tottenham Hotspur have begun 2015 in uncharacteristic style on and off the pitch. 

Despite the transfer window being open, Spurs have barely been involved. At the time of writing, only one first-team player has left the club, while none have arrived. 

Five wins, two draws and only two defeats have also seen the club emerge from a hectic period relatively unscathed. Certainly, the FA Cup exit will continue to sting, but Spurs have progressed to a Wembley final while maintaining their charge for a place in the Premier League's upper echelons.

Spurs bookended the month with two of their finest performances under Mauricio Pochettino. The 5-3 win over Chelsea was historic; Jose Mourinho simply does not suffer defeats of such magnitude. The 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion was more predictable but also represented a professional performance when fatigue could have provoked a less impressive display.

January has been a great period for Spurs. Let's analyse each section of the team by their performances during the first month of 2015. 

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Goalkeepers

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Hugo Lloris continues to be the unsung hero of Tottenham's season. 

While he has enjoyed some plaudits for his performances in big games, Lloris has delivered a remarkable level of consistency. That is something that is incredibly difficult for a goalkeeper, such is the level of scrutiny they are under.

Outfield players can be forgiven mistakes. The same is not true of 'keepers. Lloris' shining reputation among Spurs fans is testament to his consistency.

His brilliance at the Hawthorns in the victory over West Brom showed the amazing level he routinely reaches in the Spurs goal. 

Tottenham are on the charge in three competitions, and much of that comes down to the astonishing Frenchman.

They might even be pushing along in all four competitions if it weren't for Lloris' understudy. 

Michel Vorm deputised for Lloris is the 2-1 FA Cup defeat against Leicester City and showed his limitations in a poor performance. 

Vorm has qualities, but they were not on display in that match. He made four other starts in the month and actually played more minutes than Lloris. In those other matches, Vorm demonstrated that he is capable of far better, but it will be the Leicester game that will remain longest in the memories of Spurs fans.

Grade: B -

Defenders

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Each of Tottenham's defenders, with the exception of the newly arrived DeAndre Yedlin, played a part in January. 

Federico Fazio and Jan Vertonghen were denied maximum time together on the pitch by the Argentinian's illness, but that gave Eric Dier his opportunity to return to the lineup. 

Dier was anonymous in his first game back against Sunderland, which is a compliment for a central defender. His substitution for Fazio made little discernible difference.

Tottenham's club captain, Younes Kaboul, continued his nightmare season with two typically disastrous displays against Leicester and Burnley. Spurs won the latter game, but Kaboul was utterly outfoxed against the former.

Perhaps the most interesting development in January was Danny Rose's return as first-choice left-back. 

Ben Davies had seemingly pushed Rose to the periphery, but Rose's displays and flexibility have seen him sneak ahead once again. The battle between the pair can only be good for Spurs, but Davies appears to be suffering from a crisis of confidence.

Vlad Chiriches continued as an auxiliary right-back this month and continued to impress. 

The return of Kyle Walker means Chiriches will never make that position his own, but he has proven to be a more than capable deputy.

Spurs' defence overall has shown signs of developing an understanding in recent months. The team as a whole are benefiting from that growing confidence, but the lack of clean sheets continues to be a concern. Keeping West Brom to nil in their final match of January hopefully augurs well for the future.

Grade: B

Midfield

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The absence of Nabil Bentaleb on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Algeria and Ryan Mason with injury forced Pochettino to examine his alternatives throughout much of January. 

Happily, this opportunity has helped players such as Paulinho and Mousa Dembele force their way back into the first-team picture. While neither has been brilliant, both now appear to be valuable squad members again after looking destined for the exit in the mid-season transfer window. 

Etienne Capoue, though afforded the same chances, was not able to impress in the same way and remains a last option for Pochettino at this point in the season.

Tottenham's midfield is generally asked to perform a difficult and thankless role. Plugging gaps in the defence and springing the ball efficiently out from the back does not easily win plaudits. Mason and Bentaleb were doing an excellent job in this role in late 2014, while other members of the squad have had greater difficulties in this dual role.

The quality of Spurs' first-choice pairing only became apparent when others were asked to perform the same tasks. It is unlikely the players who deputised for Bentaleb and Mason in January have done enough to displace them. 

Grade: C

Attack

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Tottenham have rose from seventh to fifth in the Premier League in January. 

In that time, Harry Kane scored five goals and Christian Eriksen got four. 

Spurs' success in all competitions is utterly dependent on the young duo. Eriksen's ability to win matches that appear to have slipped away is matched only by Kane's capacity for putting Spurs on the front foot.

West Ham have fallen away in January, while Southampton appear poised to be the next to drop. Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool remain Spurs' rivals for the final two Champions League places. 

If Tottenham are to continue their rise, players such as Andros Townsend, Erik Lamela, Nacer Chadli, Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor must shoulder more of the burden. Each has shown glimpses of being able to do so during January—some more than others—but Kane and Eriksen are unlikely to continue scoring at this rate, so Spurs will need those other sources of goals soon. 

January has been an excellent month for Spurs' attack. Five goals against Chelsea was the crowning achievement, but they weren't held scoreless in any of their nine matches in the month. 

Spurs' attack was anemic at the start of the season, but now they have only four fewer goals than Man United in the Premier League. Their attack is blossoming as the team grows around it. 

Grade: A