What's Wrong with Spurs?

It has already become a transitional season for Spurs with reduce likelihood of achieving the one thing that has continued to allude their manager - which is actually winning any number of the established trophies.  What hovers menacingly is the massive £637 million debt that the Spurs chairman says will not impact his clubs transfer decisions.  Arsene Wenger spent years in the wilderness when Arsenal had to chop down their own stadium debt after the building of the Emirates Stadium, though he also managed 20 consecutive qualifications to the Champions League.

Spurs are not guaranteed a top 4 finish, especially having been beaten 2-1 by a resurgent Leicester City team.  The worry for Spurs is that newly promoted clubs have proven capable of capitalizing on sleeping giants.  Manchester City were off their game against Norwich losing 3-1 but they came bouncing back this weekend walloping woeful Watford 8-0.  Sheffield United have been playing with innovative tactics and those tactics have secured them unlikely points - but how can a team like Sheffield United be more innovative on the field than a team like Tottenham?

Last Wednesday, Olympiacos (the Greek champions) outplayed Tottenham but poor finishing and giving away a silly penalty ended with Spurs taking a point.  The Saturday before all the pundits declared that normal service has resumed at Tottenham after their 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace, but Palace who held the joint best defensive record this year, played their worst game against Spurs.  It hid the flaws in the Tottenham performances but also some strange off field politics.

Nothing is more stranger than giving away Kieran Trippier for just $20 million.  Trippier whose crossing ability and free-kicks have served him with comparisons with David Beckham has had a sensational start at Athletico Madrid.  The Madrid fans have welcomed him with open arms, which is a wholly different experience from the one at Spurs where Tottenham fans (including me) began criticizing him deeply.  Yet Trippier protested that it was injury and not form that led to under-performance.  He was voted the key player of last week's Champion League matches, serving up seven chances for Athletico Madrid players.  If he continues on this form, Spurs may have just under-sold this player by the margin of over $50 million.  Bizarre financial decisions add to what might be wrong with Tottenham right now.

They risk losing Eriksen for free and Alderweireld - selling both of these players at the right time could have got them  £200 million.  It is not unthinkable to decide to sell Harry Kane because Spurs in-form striker is actually Heung-Min Son and with Kane keeping Lucas Moura out of the team and Erik Lamela back to top form and Dele Alli showing a slight return to form, Spurs could afford to sell Kane for  £ 300 million.  Yet the refinancing of the debt is more akin to moving the deck chairs on the Titanic.   Losing £100 million on Eriksen and £50 million on Alderweireld with timely exits, added to what Trippier should have been sold for, and that is 500 million wiped off the debt.  Then it is also entirely feasible with Lo Celso now in the team to sell Dele Alli for £150 million.  In hindsight Spurs could have cleared their stadium debt and still have players to rebuild a team, with plenty of transfer money available down the road.

That is not what has happened and now they are in a position where Spurs do not have a strategic option to eradicate the stadium debt, and so it sits like a pariah over footballing decisions - and maybe it is this huge pressure that is leading to confusing decisions and players who are no longer stepping up in physicality and determination demanded by Mauricio Pochettino.  Leicester City look like a team that has invested far more wisely than Spurs, and they have proven that teams can still bring in quality players like James Maddison, without having to pay extravagant transfer fees. 

Things are so weird at Tottenham right now that manager Mauricio Pochettino is one of the favourites by bookmakers to lose his job.  If Spurs do have money in the kitty to spend beyond the stadium debt, then perhaps that money is better spent with a new manager.  Antonio Conte has had a fast and purposeful start with Inter Milan, and he would have been a good choice for Spurs.  Napoli is doing well under Carlo Ancelloti - a manager that has even more experience than Conte.  Then there is Jose Mourinho but how would that work when it will probably become a combustible relationship with the Tottenham chairman. 

Spurs may claim that VAR worked against them on Saturday with the ridicolous decision of mathematically declaring that the Spurs player was offside by a matter of a few millimeters.  Yet the rules are the rules and they apply to all teams, and Spurs were the lucky recipients of two VAR decisions that got them into the Champions League final. 

With too "easy" games to come (and nothing in the Premier League should be considered an easy game) against Colchester in the cup and Southampton at home in the league - these should be winnable matches.  That is they "should be" and that should be is no longer a guarantee of success.

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