Examining the Statuses of Tottenham Hotspur's Fringe Players
Tottenham Hotspur's fringe players will have bemoaned last month's Europa League exit more than anyone. The streamlining of the north London club's season has meant opportunities for several of them are now likely to be minimal at best.
With nine matches left before the 2014-15 campaign concludes, it is a good time to examine the respective statuses of these players. Who has scope for more first-team action, and who will be consigned to the occasional warm-up jog down the touchline (if that)?
The Tottenham players discussed here are those who have not featured in more than a month, or whose participation has been particularly sporadic.
First up, goalkeeper Michel Vorm.
Michel Vorm
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Michel Vorm has become more familiar than he would have liked with the harsh realities of being a back-up goalkeeper this season.
The Netherlands international has played in only 10 matches, and not once in the Premier League. Last season, he appeared 32 times for Swansea City.
With France captain Hugo Lloris already at Tottenham, Vorm obviously understood playing time would not come easily. "I want to taste how it is to work and to play for a big club like Spurs," he told the club's official website last August.
Vorm's selection in every round of Spurs' journey to the Capital One Cup final (as well as other cup games) ensured he was not just at the club to be emergency cover. But those experiences would not have felt like nearly enough after Lloris was picked ahead of him for the Wembley date.
Barring injury to the ever-present Frenchman, Vorm is unlikely to feature in any of the remaining Premier League games.
Assuming the highly regarded Lloris remains at Spurs next season, his back-up will surely take stock of his options. He might just decide actually playing is more fun than just tasting the "big club" experience.
Younes Kaboul
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From captain to castaway, Younes Kaboul has all but been left behind as the good ship Tottenham Hotspur sails on this season.
Still officially club skipper, the defender played every Premier League game up until November's loss to Stoke City. Since then, he has watched on as first Federico Fazio and more recently Eric Dier have taken his place alongside Jan Vertonghen at centre-back.
Kaboul has appeared just three times in all competitions since November—away at Besiktas in the Europa League, and in home FA Cup games versus Burnley (replay) and Leicester City. In none of them did he give any reason why he should be back in the team.
When given the kind of consistent run Kaboul received in the opening months, Dier, Fazio and Vertonghen have generally played much better than him. Save for two of them getting injured or suspended, it is difficult to see why head coach Mauricio Pochettino would change strategy now.
Kaboul has done some good work for Spurs over the years. But after some less-than-reliable showings this season, his time at White Hart Lane appears to be coming to an end.
Vlad Chiriches
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Vlad Chiriches has had less time than Kaboul in his usual position of centre-back this season. Pochettino tried him at right-back, though, and liked what he saw—so much so that he allowed Kyle Naughton to leave and turn the Romanian from makeshift full-back into actual cover for the fit-again Kyle Walker.
Walker has rarely been out of the team in 2015. It is his natural position, giving him the edge over Chiriches, who is willing but not always comfortable defending on the flanks.
With that said, Walker had as tough—if not more so—a time defending Manchester United's Ashley Young this past weekend than Chiriches did just after Christmas. Spurs drew the earlier game 0-0 too, as opposed to losing 3-0 like last Sunday.
Pochettino has used the latter player only four times since, and then only in cup games during Spurs' busy winter period. Walker will almost certainly remain first-choice, but it would not be a surprise if the Argentine kept him on his toes by handing Chiriches a run-out or two.
Etienne Capoue
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Like Kaboul, Etienne Capoue has seen regular starts turn into a bit-part role over the course of the season.
The 26-year-old has played decently when called upon since that transition. His crucial equalising goal in the cup replay versus Burnley showed he has more about him than just performing the functions of a holding midfielder.
The problem for Capoue is these extra gears have been too rarely utilised. In general, his work is more reactionary compared to the more active, positive choices of the now-first-choice central midfielders Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason.
A little more restraint from Spurs in the middle of the pitch would not go amiss at times. Sunday's defeat to Manchester United showed the team's inclination to close down the opposition is not always a suitable strategy within games.
Nonetheless, Pochettino has placed great faith in his young midfield pair. With others like Mousa Dembele and Benjamin Stambouli getting the more recent opportunities off the bench or in the course of squad rotation, it is difficult to see Capoue being moved up the pecking order again now.
Benjamin Stambouli
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Stambouli has occupied a frustrating middle-ground for the player. He's not a regular next-man up like, say, Dembele, Roberto Soldado or Andros Townsend have often been, but he's not almost completely out of favour like Capoue or Kaboul.
He has had runs in Pochettino's starting XI, like in January when he came in while Bentaleb was on international duty. But then there have been periods when he has not even been selected as a substitute.
The latter is in part because of Pochettino's evident policy of rotation among those occupying the bench spots, so as not to completely disillusion them with their lack of involvement.
Stambouli might feel he deserves more regular opportunities based on the tenacious, team-enhancing work of his best performances (such as his foothold-regaining cameo off the bench against Swansea City and in the 0-0 draw with Man United, both in December).
Thinking back to the away games versus Asteras Tripolis, Sheffield United and Fiorentina, though Stambouli's second-half performances lacked some of the focus and positional discipline which informed his pre-interval work. Perhaps those tail-offs have been noticed by Pochettino at the expense of subsequent playing time.
In the wake of the Man United defeat, Pochettino would be remiss not to consider how he might make his midfield more solid. Stambouli is a genuine option here. Still, given the inconsistency of the Frenchman's appearances, it is hard to figure out just what the boss' take on his spoiler of a midfielder is.
Paulinho
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The difference between the start of Paulinho's season and his experiences in early 2015 have been like early evening and afternoon—because night and day would suggest a comparative improvement more dramatic than has actually been the case.
The Brazilian must be credited with turning largely nonexistent pre-Christmas showings into some solid work in 2015. He helped turn around the FA Cup third-round replay with Burnley, has contributed to wins over Chelsea and Arsenal and helped Spurs into the Capital One Cup final.
But his most recent start in the Europa League round of 32 home leg versus Fiorentina typified the enduring frustration Paulinho cannot quite get beyond.
He did not play awfully. He just did little of note either.
That was problematic against the Serie A side. Spurs conceded the initiative after their goal and were ultimately punished by defeat because of their failure to regain it.
Similarly to Capoue, Paulinho's inability to grab these opportunities has counted against him. He could well be called upon again before the season is done, but it is unlikely to be with much expectation over what he offers.
Emmanuel Adebayor
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Prior to Sunday, Emmanuel Adebayor had not played since Tottenham's FA Cup exit to Leicester in January. In the meantime, Harry Kane had strengthened his status as the team's first-choice forward, while Soldado's role as the go-to back-up appeared to be secure .
As it was, Adebayor contributed a lively 10 minutes or so at Old Trafford. The game was well beyond Spurs by this point, but he tried to put himself about in the box as they searched for a consolation goal.
Speaking to The Guardian's David Hytner post-match, Adebayor suggested a breakthrough had been made after a difficult few months personally and professionally.
"But now it is behind me and I am back on the football pitch," he said. "I am very glad to be back."
The prospect of an enthusiastic Adebayor is a good one for Spurs. As great as Kane has played, he could do with someone sharing the load up front.
Both Premier Injuries and PhysioRoom.com report Soldado is suffering from a knee injury with no return date currently available (or confirmed by Tottenham). The Spaniard has struggled to impose himself of late anyway and might have been coming under scrutiny by Pochettino regardless.
Adebayor's season might just have been handed a reprieve. Now we will see how much he wants to make something of it.
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