Loss to Man City Shows Good and Bad of Tottenham Hotspur's Squad

It was a match that, on the surface, held little significance for either Manchester City or Tottenham. 

City, the eventual winners, took to the pitch in north London knowing they had relinquished their title and were largely playing for pride. For all Joe Hart's chest thumping afterwards, the Citizens' season has long since slipped away. 

The same goes double for Spurs. They were ruled out of the Champions League race before the season began, forced their way into the mix only to eventually slip meekly out of contention. 

That could also have been a summary of the clash with City at White Hart Lane. 

Mauricio Pochettino's side shocked many by being equal to City through much of the match but were halted by Hart and their own inadequacies. 

Happily, this match encapsulated much that is good and all of what is bad about Pochettino's hodge-podge Hotspurs. 

The City winner showed up Spurs' defensive failings, their lack of structure and the absence of a true defensive midfielder. David Silva and Sergio Aguero were able to bypass Spurs' entire ragged defence as their own corner broke down. 

Ryan Mason tried vainly to fill in as a defender and hold the line against the advancing Aguero but it is certainly not his role. 

Mason's place in Spurs' squad is perhaps the most under threat going forward. The lack of a strictly defensive player has contributed to their consistent defensive woes and Mason is the obvious candidate for a replacement/upgrade. The arrival of Dele Alli in the summer will only complicate things.

He has been given a difficult dual role in Pochettino's midfield and is appreciated by his manager but his limitations are apparent. 

Mason's fellow academy graduates had more luck against City. Danny Rose gave another solid performance, complete with his customarily authoritative tackling and occasionally dangerous crossing. 

Rose's individual growth this season is greater than even Harry Kane's. 

Bogdan Maran/Associated Press

Kane failed to score and, by now, that is something of a concern. Despite being unable to beat Hart in the City goal, Kane gave yet another strong performance. He was dangerous when he went direct but he was particularly unselfish and did well to bring his teammates into the game. 

There was, unfortunately, a distinct lack of poise in the final third. Spurs dominated long stretches of the game but were well marshalled by City's overload in the centre of the pitch. This was apparently a tactic of Manuel Pellegrini's and it was highly effective. 

Christian Eriksen continued his poor form and was withdrawn after a frustrating 59 minutes. 

Pellegrini was clearly willing to risk freeing up space on the wings in order to swamp Eriksen and Kane in front of goal. 

Nacer Chadli was entirely anonymous on the left flank while Erik Lamela was unable to take advantage of the space on the right. 

Lamela showed more flashes of his obvious talent than usual against City and has clearly grown tougher in his time in England but is yet to really dominate a game. 

He is the embodiment of his team. Undoubtedly talented, occasionally brilliant but too often unable to leave his mark, Lamela is growing but, given the significant expenditure, not yet at the level expected of him. 

The good news is that he, like Spurs, is improving and has time on his side. 

Expectations will grow for Pochettino's side next season and Lamela will be expected to be among the leading lights. 

If Spurs are to qualify for the Champions League next season, they will need to get the best out of their key players. Lamela must reach his potential at Tottenham for them to take the next step. 

Many of the pieces are in place for Spurs to take a real run at the Premier League's elite next season. 

Bogdan Maran/Associated Press

Stability will breed a degree of success. The likes of Eriksen, Kane, Rose, Nabil Bentaleb and the outstanding Eric Dier are all young enough that they will continue to grow under Pochettino's watchful eye. 

Add the incomparable Hugo Lloris in goal and Spurs have the spine of a great team. 

Tottenham have barely been able to compete with City since beating them in the unofficial Champions League playoff in 2010.

If Spurs can successfully combine their strong young core with the driven and ambitious Pochettino, they may have more glorious nights ahead.