Tottenham and the Virtue of Patience

Jul 26, 2014; Bridgeview, IL, USA; Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane (37) dribbles around Chicago Fire midfielder Jeff Larentowicz (20) during a friendly at Toyota Park. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

As Tottenham joins the ranks of teams hoping to tank out of the Europa League, what are we to make of their season? By any measure it has been unspectacular, and in an all-too-familiar way. Mauricio Pochettino’s first season in charge has failed to better the combined efforts of Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, two managers who earned a significant amount of criticism from Spurs fans. He’s been unable – or unwilling – to address the baffling confidence problems in defense that have plagued the club for several seasons. Neither of Spurs’ record signings, Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela, have blossomed under his tutelage. He might be forgiven on the former considering the prodigious run of form produced by Harry Kane, but Pochettino even failed to start the young English striker for the first two months of the season. Based on these facts alone, you’d be forgiven if you assume these concluding games to the season would be Pochettino’s last.

And yet it seems that might not be the case. He’s confident of his role next season. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, famous for his hair-trigger, doesn’t appear to be sounding out the Argentine’s replacement. Indeed, for perhaps the first time in Levy’s tenure, the club seems to favoring long term success to short term results.

From that perspective, Pochettino’s time with Spurs certainly seems rosier. He’s labored to bring youth into the squad. For the bulk of the season, in fact, Spurs fielded teams with the lowest average age in the entire Premier League. Cynics might suggest that inexperience makes for a convenient excuse for a poor season, but this is clearly a philosophy embraced by every level of the club.

There is a strategy involved, however. Many of the young players Pochettino’s favored have actually been Tottenham youth academy products. Spurs’ 5-3 win over Chelsea in January best displayed the effectiveness of this policy. No less than six of Spurs’ starting XI had been with the club since before they were 18 years old. Granted, Tottenham’s academy isn’t Barcelona’s La Masia. Most of these players went on several loan stints each and haven’t played together in many meaningful games prior to this season. Nevertheless, it’s a clear sign of priorities being adjusted.

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In perhaps the boldest statement of intent from the club has been the hiring of a new Head of Recruitment, Paul Mitchell. Though his resume is short, it features one of the most impressive transfer windows in recent Premier League history. Prior to joining Spurs, he presided over last season’s transfer window saga at Southampton. After a higher than expected finish last season, the Saints lost five of their best players last season to bigger clubs by the beginning of the summer transfer window. It was widely suspected that they would struggle to stay in the Premier League, much less compete.

Mitchell’s recruitment efforts changed that. He brought in a number of undervalued players that went on to be vital to a run of form that took Southampton into the Champions League places in the first half of the season. Though they couldn’t maintain that pace, by any measure the Saints have overperformed this season. They’ll likely finish just below Spurs in the table with a likely spot in the Europa League.

Spurs likely didn’t make the move expecting such an immediate return however. What they’re looking for instead is a sustainable development and transfer policy that will not only keep them competitive, but also allow them to be in a constant state of rebuilding. It might not be entirely fair to refer to the club’s time under manager Harry Redknapp and then technical director Franco Baldini as wasted years, but under their watch Spurs became remarkably inefficient. Big money sales of Luka Modric and then Gareth Bale helped finance a shopping spree that failed to replicate those players significant contributions.

That is precisely that situation that Spurs will hope to avoid in the future. It’s the difference between reactive and proactive. Mitchell and company will hope to build a talented team with multiple redundancies. Such depth allowed Southampton to not only survive a mass exodus last summer but also a minor injury crisis that befell them midway through this season. Perhaps more importantly, Southampton’s talent is relatively diffuse and not based by the efforts of one or two players. As great as Harry Kane might be, he should not be allowed to become the only aspect of Spurs keeping them in contention.

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To that end, the coming summer transfer window will likely see some radical changes. The team has become bloated with expensive, mismatched pieces. Under the guidance of Pochettino and Mitchell, the team should be stripped for parts and retrofitted with youth, returning loanees or safe, informed moves in the transfer market.

How that will be done exactly is up for debate. It seems a foregone conclusion that Hugo Lloris will be sold this summer. Michel Vorm’s Europa League audition for the starting position next season have been decent, but it’s possible the club goes for someone with a slightly better reputation.

First on the list of problems to address must be the defensive backline. Spurs have lacked a leadership presence in defense since Ledley King was forced to retire. A strong centre back will have to be a top priority, preferably someone experienced with the physicality of the Premier League.

Starters Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason are likely the only midfielders who can feel secure in their position on the first team. With promising loanees Tom Carroll and Deli Alli returning, the remaining spots in central midfield will be hotly contested over. Expect a clear out of dead weight ahead of any incoming transfers.

With the exception of Kane, Tottenham lacked any consistently reliable threat in attack. Christian Erickson will continue to feature, but even his considerable talents can be streaky. With Lamela still very much a work-in-progress, it’s likely Mitchell will seek to bring in a winger or back-up striker to compliment the current structure.

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Spurs have clearly reached a ceiling. The wheeling and dealing, the high turnover of managers, the uncoordinated influx of new players, each of these has contributed to a stalling out of Spurs ambitions in recent years. Thankfully this seems to have finally dawned on Spurs leadership. Levy is right to stay his hand with Pochettino and remain confident that his – and really any – philosophy will need time and effort to settle in with the squad. Mitchell will need free reign to recruit, and incoming players will need to be allowed to settle. It’s not the overnight success story that Levy and many other team owners have shot for in the past. Rather, it’s a rational and patient approach to cracking an increasingly complex formula for success.

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