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Five reasons Tottenham are in fifth place

By Rucker Haringey

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on October 22, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on October 22, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA – OCTOBER 11: Eric Dier of England battles for the ball with Rene Krhin of Slovenia during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Group F match between Slovenia and England at Stadion Stozice on October 11, 2016 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA – OCTOBER 11: Eric Dier of England battles for the ball with Rene Krhin of Slovenia during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier Group F match between Slovenia and England at Stadion Stozice on October 11, 2016 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

4. The Three Lions

Having five players heavily involved in England’s squad for Euro 2016 was an immense point of pride for many Spurs fans. Unfortunately, it also meant none of those five stars was able to have a relaxing, restful summer.

Specifically, the summer seems to have negatively affected Eric Dier and Harry Kane. The physical midfielder hasn’t come close to replicating his outstanding form from last season. He’s been completely surpassed in Pochettino’s pecking order by new arrival Victor Wanyama.

The Spurs striker, of course, has missed significant time due to injury. It’s hard to say this is directly related to his involvement this summer for England, but it was almost certainly a contributing factor.

You also can’t dismiss the possibility that Kyle Walker, Dele Alli and Danny Rose aren’t playing their best football due to stress of playing for England. Their struggles aren’t as obvious as Kane and Dier’s, but they still could be subtly hurting Tottenham’s performance.

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