It's Not Time to Panic for Tottenham Hotspur Despite Tricky Premier League Start

After the boos echoed around White Hart Lane following Tottenham Hotspur's 2-2 draw with Stoke City, outside observers might have been forgiven for thinking that the club was in crisis. 

Tottenham have just one point from their first two games. They have one first-team striker and no great defensive midfield options.

There have been two disappointing results to begin the season. 

The first match, against Manchester United, could have been a victory. In fact, Spurs probably should have won that game, but a draw would have seemed a fair result. The defeat suffered on the opening day at Old Trafford was certainly frustrating, but there were still good signs. 

That Tottenham could feel so aggrieved by a defeat to United speaks to the club's progress in recent years. 

At half-time against Stoke City, Spurs led 2-0 and were looking quite good. 

The Potters are a different team today, after Mark Hughes' renovations to a previously stodgy squad; picking them apart as Tottenham had done is impressive.

The second-half collapse was less so.

Slipping from such a dominant position is a real concern. Mauricio Pochettino will undoubtedly have been worried by how fragile his young side still is. 

The dependence on Harry Kane is no surprise. The sale of Roberto Soldado and exile of Emmanuel Adebayor left the club with Kane as the only senior forward at the club. 

The acquisition of Clinton Njie will ease these concerns somewhat, but the Cameroonian has no experience in England and usually played out wide with Lyon. 

There are numerous clouds obscuring what was supposed to be a bright new dawn at Tottenham this season. 

Despite these valid concerns, it is not time to panic. 

The fact that Tottenham have produced good enough football to win both of their opening fixtures should palliate the final results somewhat. 

The club is involved in a move for West Brom striker Saido Berahino, according to ESPN, and that transfer would alleviate the reliance on Kane. 

Frustration over a failure to complete the Berahino transfer before the opening weeks of the season is more than understandable. It has been a repeated theme, even in Spurs' most successful recent seasons, that some moves are left until the final days of the summer window.

While the transfer brinkmanship that has made Daniel Levy famous may have saved the club many millions of pounds, it has also cost them points. 

Had Berahino arrived in July, Spurs might have needed to pay upwards of the £25 million the Baggies have reportedly demanded. His presence would have almost certainly helped avoid the slip-up against the Potters. 

Equally, the Evening Standard reports that Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama is now a transfer priority.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

What has possessed Tottenham to wait until late August to "make enquiry" over a well-known Premier League player is unknown. What is more certain is that Wanyama's assistance would have been useful at Old Trafford and against Stoke. 

Pochettino was forced to deploy centre-back Eric Dier in a defensive midfield role for both of the opening rounds, and while he gave credible performances in each match, the team has suffered as a result. 

Given that the final margins between Champions League and Europa League places are so fine—just six points separated Spurs from Manchester United last season—the failure to complete transfers before the season is a self-defeating strategy. 

There is no reason to panic because Spurs' ultimate goals are not at risk. 

The unfortunate reality is that, for this season at least, Tottenham are not realistic Champions League contenders. 

While they have proven themselves at least as good as Manchester United and have thrashed both Arsenal and Chelsea in recent memory, a lack of depth means Spurs cannot realistically aspire to displace the clubs that finished above them last season.

The unapproachable finances of the Manchester clubs and Chelsea virtually guarantee their positions. While Chelsea have started poorly, with the same one point from their first two games as Tottenham, the Premier League is an attritional marathon and they won't be left far behind. 

Arsenal and Liverpool too can vastly outspend Spurs and have squads of great depth. 

Were Tottenham to sneak into the top four this season, it would be a surprise, and that has informed the club's movements.

Another top-six finish is all that is required to keep Tottenham's long-term plan on the rails. 

A first team built around young talent, both homegrown and bought, that can compete in Europe's secondary competition and push for domestic honours in the League and FA Cup meets the requirements of the ownership.

Both critics and admirers of Daniel Levy's stewardship of Tottenham often reach their conclusions from the same evidence. 

That fact that the team remains competitive but well short of its far wealthier rivals is a reality that can justify a positive or negative mindset. 

Season after season of net transfer profit despite the skyrocketing TV deals means a new stadium can be acquired without the millstone of massive debt.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Some may have justifiably thought that Tottenham could move to the next level this season. 

After a debut campaign under Pochettino, the club had produced some excellent football with a team built on a young and improving spine. 

No first-team players have been lost this summer, and players like Kane, Hugo Lloris and Christian Eriksen are good enough to play for any team in England.

Without the strength in depth that marks out the teams above them, Spurs are at the mercy of inevitable injury, suspension and fatigue. 

Last season, Kane and Eriksen both struggled at times after admirably carrying the club's campaign. Without significant additions, the pair will struggle to wrench Pochettino's team any higher than last season's fifth-place finish.

This realistic appraisal of Tottenham's chances of gatecrashing the top four's party this season may rankle with some, but it is based purely on the fact that Spurs have failed to adequately strengthen while their rivals have taken significant steps. 

Tottenham's goal for this season remains to finish in the league's top six and to push for genuine success elsewhere. That is under little threat after a frustrating start to the season. 

There is little justification of panic but, perhaps, some reason to despair.