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By • Lebo Mwamuka
"But they haven't won any trophies"
"Is there a trophy for putting the pressure on?"
Spurs fans generally have to endure these statements on a daily basis,
as the wrath of the global football community is certainly not for the
faint-hearted. They usually find a way to defend themselves by
criticising the money spent by their rivals, or the fact the football club
is growing every year under Mauricio Pochettino. However, Spurs fans
shouldn't feel the need to defend themselves. Facing "banter" will
always be a feature of being a committed football fan, and most fans
find pride in defending their football club to the death. That being said,
being a Tottenham Hotspur fan should allow you to spend more time
praising your side's accomplishments than defending their shortfalls.
Trophies are very important, but they aren't everything.
(Maurico Pochettino- Tottenham Hotspur)
BELIEVE IN THE METAMORPHOSIS
"You can't win anything with kids". Alan Hansen said this of a young
Manchester United side in 1995 after they lost their season opener 3-1
against Aston Villa. United went on to win the Premier League that
season and this became one of the most infamous quotes in football
history. The reason I've included this quote in my article is rather self-
explanatory; Tottenham Hotspur have a relatively young squad.
According to CIES football observatory data, the North London outfit
boast the 4th youngest squad in the Premier League (only Newcastle
United, Huddersfield Town, and Liverpool have younger squads),
showing Pochettino's trust and belief in youth. One must also note that
a number of Spurs' older players are backup or fringe players.
Fernando Llorente (32) and Michel Vorm (34) both raise the average
age of the squad but it is very rare to find either in the starting XI on a
matchday. It doesn't take a statistician to know that Mauricio
Pochettino relies heavily on his younger players, regardless of the
occasion. Look no further than his side's recent 3-1 win vs. Real Madrid
for evidence of this.
There is something odd (and yet, beautiful) about the fact that Dele Alli
and Harry Kane were seen as a couple of Tottenham's more reliable
and experienced players going into their clash against the Champions
League holders. Evidently, the young Englishmen lived up to
expectations as Dele Alli scored twice and a not-fully-fit Harry Kane
produced a lovely assist for Christian Eriksen's goal and generally
provided a complete forward's display. However, I would particularly
like to point out the performance of a certain young midfield controller:
Harry Winks. There are few more daunting occasions as a midfielder
than going up against Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Isco on a
Champions League evening. Harry Winks had barely even established
himself as a regular in Pochettino's side, whereas Madrid's midfield
quartet had already tasted Champions League glory. Watching the
match, however, you wouldn't think that. Harry Winks played with the
confidence and swagger of a midfield veteran, and never appeared
overawed by his opponents.
Above, we can see Harry Winks' passmap vs. Real Madrid at Wembley
(courtesy of Squawka). Watching the youngster play, it is evident that
he's a fan of the diagonal pass, particularly between the lines or to a
marauding wide man. In fact, Winks provided the fantastic diagonal
ball to Kieran Trippier, who then picked out Dele Alli for Spurs' opener
against the Spanish giants.
Harry Winks has been making a very strong argument to be included in
England's regular starting XI in Russia and, should he continue down
this path, he may be the midfield controller that England need if they
want to stand any chance of winning the World Cup. He's composed,
confident, and extremely talented. And at just 21 years old, the boy
could be a crucial part of Tottenham Hotspur and the England National
Team for years to come.
"WE'VE GOT ALLI, DELE ALLI"
It's very easy to forget that Dele Alli is still just 21 years old. His
sleekness and fluidity on the ball, as well as his off the ball movement,
have made him one of the very best players in the Premier League
over the course of the last 2 and a half seasons. He's also an incredibly
versatile player, capable of playing central midfield, attacking midfield,
and as a forward. As a 2-time PFA Young Player of the Year, it comes as
no surprise that Dele is being linked with some of the biggest clubs in
Europe. Inevitably, comparisons have been drawn between Dele Alli
and Frank Lampard, and that's perfectly fair. Of course, the former MK
Dons man still needs to do some work to reach the level of a peak
Frank Lampard, but it's not crazy to believe he truly can reach that
level one day.
These statistics would be impressive for an experienced Premier
League striker, let alone a young dynamic midfielder. It's Dele's
consistency that really stands out most. We've seen young mercurial
players arrive on the scene and have a stand-out season, but quickly
falling away e.g. Adnan Januzaj. But with Dele, it appears as though
he's only getting better and better, and the sky is the limit for the
young man. His brace and all-round performance vs. Real Madrid at
Wembley perhaps confirmed that he's prepared to perform on the
biggest stage and will approach those challenges without fear. One
criticism of Dele's, however, is his attitude. Having been found diving
or getting himself into unnecessary confrontations too often, it is
something he'll need to cut out of his game if he wants to be seen as
one of the best players in the world one day. But as far as footballing
ability goes, there's no doubt in my mind that Dele Alli is destined for
success. And if Tottenham Hotspur manage to retain his services, they
can continue to dream of one day winning the Premier League, and
perhaps begin whispers of European success.
Now as impressive as Dele Alli has been, and as reliable as Harry Winks
has proven himself to be, there is a pretty obvious star in this
Tottenham Hotspur side, and he goes by the name of Harry Kane.
YOU'RE A WIZARD, HARRY!
Now, as Harry Kane turned 24 years old a few months ago, he is no
longer "scouted" (U23), but I believe it's fair to say we can make an
exception here. And that's because, simply put, Harry Kane is arguably
the best striker in Europe right now. Robert Lewandowski and Edinson
Cavani, among others, may challenge that statement vigourously, but
the fact that Harry Kane is even part of the conversation speaks
volumes of his rise. Harry Kane broke into Tottenham Hotspur's starting
XI partway through the 2014/15 season, and he hasn't looked back
since. He managed 21 goals and 4 assists in 28 starts in the Premier
League, but that inevitably led to opposition fans calling him a one-
season wonder. That myth was soon debunked as the Spurs man went
on to score 25 goals during the 2015/16 Premier League season and
win the golden boot as a result. And just to confirm that he wasn't a
two-season wonder, Harry Kane had his most prolific season yet during
the 2016/17 Premier League season. With 29 goals and 7 assists in just
29 starts, Harry Kane cemented his status as one of the most clinical
no. 9's in world football. It's frightening to imagine how many goals he
might've managed had he been available all season, but his 29 goals
were still enough to win him his second consecutive golden boot
award.
Although numerical statistics aren't usually needed to show just how
good Harry Kane is, it's always important to have evidence to support
the argument that he really is one of the best and most complete
forwards in the world today. As stated before, his 16/17 season was
evidently his most prolific of all 3 of his complete seasons for Spurs (so
far), and yet it is the season in which he completed the least minutes.
No game was too big, no defence was too intimidating; the man took
on all comers fearlessly.
(Radar via @FussballRadars)
The radar above (from the 16/17 PL season) emphasises just how
much of a fox-in-the-box Harry is. His goal conversion% is extremely
impressive and his shot volume is comparable to the likes of Cristiano
Ronaldo, Leo Messi, and Robert Lewandowski. Unfortunately this radar
doesn't have an xG (expected goals) chain, just to show that these are
good quality shots, as opposed to 35 yard attempts, for example. Harry
Kane is a special, special talent, and it won't be long before Daniel
Levy is having to bat away bids from some of Europe's wealthiest
clubs. It almost feels inevitable that Real Madrid will be circling in on
Harry Kane sooner rather than later. Would the Englishman flourish at
Los Blancos? The stats strongly suggest he'd have no problem lighting
up La Liga.
LEST WE FORGET
This article has focused on 3 particular Tottenham Hotspur stars, but
there are certainly other youngsters shining (or hoping to shine) for the
North London outfit. Eric Dier has been impressing for years now, both
in defence and midfield. He offers both steel and creativity from deep,
and Mauricio Pochettino holds him in very high regard. There is a high
chance that he could be starting for the England National Team in
Russia, but competition for places is obviously heating up. That being
said, Eric has started the season very well and we can only hope to see
his form continue. Another young man showing his defensive muscle
has been Davinson Sanchez. He has settled into the side with comfort
and ease, putting on a number of very solid performances, such as his
showing against Real Madrid at Wembley. The Colombian centre-back
is one of the best young defenders in Europe, and under Poch, he's
only destined to improve.
CONCLUSION
Their trophy cabinet may not be as full as that of their North London
rivals, Arsenal, but their future certainly appears brighter. It's
inevitable that Spurs enter a title-race as the underdogs every season,
but there's something faintly romantic and inspirational about that.
Many fans would certainly like to see some big money being spent on a
game-changing offensive player, but it is also important to the club
that they maintain their values. Perhaps a Yannick Ferreira Carrasco,
Gelson Martins, or Thomas Lemar could be the type of player Spurs
need push them to Premier League glory, but as things stand, this
young squad is doing pretty well for itself.