Tottenham hierarchy must take blame for club’s poor run of form
By Tushar Bahl
After three successful seasons under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham Hotspur look like a team on the decline and the board must take the blame for their poor run of form.
Defeat to Inter Milan on Tuesday meant that Tottenham Hotspur are stuck in the middle of their worst run of the Mauricio Pochettino era. And while they have the quality and resources to get out of this hole, there are plenty of reasons for fans to worry.
Tottenham look like a team that is tired at the moment. They had nine players playing in the final week of the FIFA World Cup and that has had an adverse effect on their start to the new season. The likes of Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen, Dele Alli all look knackered and have struggled to find their footing since returning from Russia. Making a few new signings could have fixed that issue but the club decided against it.
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Meanwhile, the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele are all still at the club despite the club’s attempts to sell them in the summer and their futures still seem to be uncertain. Tottenham did sell a few of their unwanted players but failed to replace them, leaving Pochettino with a very thin squad. And on top of that is the situation surrounding the new stadium, which has made life even more difficult and complicated for the club.
So in this scenario it is very difficult to place the blame on the manager, when he has been so badly let down by his board. Pochettino has worked wonders with the Tottenham squad and after an encouraging Champions League campaign last season, he should have been supported by his board in the transfer market.
Instead the board drew a blank once again and failed to bring in adequate reinforcements. Granted, Tottenham do not have the resources of the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea. But they have a squad that hasn’t been refreshed in years and as a result they have become much more predictable.
The last three defeats have shown that, as lapses in defense and midfield have severely hurt the team. Even in the games they have won this season, Tottenham have been far from their best. Both Newcastle and Fulham gave them a test and against Manchester United, they were gifted three goals despite being second best for the majority of the first half.
Harry Kane carried Spurs for the majority of last season, but even he seems to be struggling with fitness issues at the moment. But Pochettino cannot afford to give him a rest because Spurs do not have an adequate replacement available to them.
While Pochettino hasn’t helped matters with some of his bizarre comments, the Tottenham hierarchy are to blame for the club’s current predicament. And with the transfer window still four months away and the stadium situation showing no signs of improving, its up to Pochettino to make things right once again.