What exactly are Tottenham aiming for? Confusion grows over Spurs’ direction and long-term vision
One was left wondering, for the second time this season, what exactly Spurs was trying to achieve when they laboured their way to a damaging outcome at their magnificent stadium, which has become a favourite for visiting teams from all over the world.
We are not being teasing. We’re genuinely curious. What are they attempting to accomplish? What do their supporters hope they will accomplish?
What constitutes a successful season for this often absurd, but at the moment merely seemingly very unsure and aimless club?
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We ask because the answers to those questions have been straightforward for a considerable amount of time. “Qualify for the Champions League” was the motto for years.
The response subsequently changed to “Win a trophy” as the trophy-drought became more and more teasing and all-consuming. We’re not sure now, though.
We doubt that the supporters are certain. Furthermore, we don’t believe the club is certain. we don’t believe it’s a coincidence that Spurs’ most passive and uninteresting performances have all occurred at home, when the group’s insecurity is more noticeable.
A glaring disparity exists. The focus on finishing the lengthy wait for a trophy that was evident even when they fell well down the league table the previous season has vanished.
This season, Spurs have plodded through all of their home games. Even though they defeated Burnley with relative ease on the first day, they were remarkably subpar between Richarlison’s first goal and an incredible second.
They have also been dreadfully awful for the past three league home games, with their lone point coming against bottom-place Wolves, which they did not earn.
They were totally outplayed by Bournemouth, and now an Aston Villa team that hasn’t won the Premier League away from home this season has shown up, fallen behind within five minutes, and still won without any problems.
More importantly, they had to do very little during the ninety minutes to bring all three points home to Birmingham.
There was excellence in both of Villa’s goals. However, Spurs’ lack of concern proved to be a huge help to both.
With three defenders observing and Guglielmo Vicario obligingly positioning himself so poorly that the England player’s target was around half a goal wide, Morgan Rogers was given plenty of encouragement and space to shoot in the first half.
Three brilliant moments from Villa players were included in the final winner. Emi Buendia’s cutting run and accurate finish, Lucas Digne’s quick handling, and Matty Cash’s sweeping pass.
Each of the three components was a high-tariff, extremely challenging feat of exceptional talent. However, Spurs’ complete lack of involvement and interference made things much easier for all three.
Simply put, none of it was ever under any strain. Then, in the fictitious quest for an equaliser, Spurs just did not respond.
It seems as though there is no coincidence with the game’s overall pattern. At the beginning of both halves, Spurs had their greatest moments—in fact, the only serious moments of the whole game.
Early exchanges are marked by willingness, initiative, and effort, but over time, control is relinquished, interest wanes, and their opponents take over.
When Spurs defeated Villarreal 1-0 in the Champions League last month, they were able to get away with the same approach. They did not today.
The attacking strategy seems to focus solely on getting the ball to Mohammed Kudus and hoping he goes crazy far too frequently.
Don’t get us wrong; he is a man who is undoubtedly capable of going into crazy pretty frequently, so it’s a really wise choice for them to have inside a broader assault strategy.
However, it cannot and should not be all of it. Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, and Mathys Tel are all having difficulties.
Though they all seem to be essentially the same player trying to achieve the same things and not quite being good or confident enough to do so, any or all of them may eventually turn out well because there is talent there.
Xavi Simons, Mathys Tel, and Wilson Odobert are all having difficulties. Although there is potential among them, any or all of them could someday excel, but for now, they all seem to be essentially the same player attempting to perform the same tasks but lacking the skills or self-assurance to do so.
As second-half substitutes, neither Richarlison nor Randal Kolo Muani were able to address the attack’s lack of focal point.
Kolo Muani’s most memorable moment was a full-length air shot inside the penalty box, and it has been a long wait for his Premier League debut.
Spurs’ only other realistic path to goal, aside from some individual Kudus skill, seemed to be via long throws from Kevin Danso, who was a late substitute for Cristian Romero in the starting lineup when the game was originally planned.
Thomas Frank reportedly threw random football players at the pitch in the hopes that something would stick after Tottenham fell behind in a match that they had plenty of opportunity to dominate in the first half.
At left-back, Brennan Johnson had a decidedly Angeball vibe, and we all know what people now think of that.
Incredibly, Spurs have only won three of their last eighteen Premier League home games since Ange Postecoglou’s team crushed today’s opponents 4-1 over a year ago.
Frank is not primarily to blame for the team’s dismal home record. However, the fact that he is a new manager additionally contributes to the uncertainty surrounding Spurs’ current identity and goals.
Heung-min Son summer exit was both appropriate and opportune given his declining performance at this level, but it also broke one of the team’s last genuine ties to its fans.
With Son’s departure, the fans lose their final meaningful link to the Poch teams as well as their last true hero, a bond that can only be formed through time.
Son wasn’t “one of their own,” but he was completely and utterly COYS, possibly at his own expense in terms of his ostentatious professional success.
Perhaps even more so than Harry Kane, he was and still is a Spurs supporter. When Son raised the Europa League trophy, it was clear what it meant to him and that it meant more to him than to any of the other Spurs players.
Kudus is gaining popularity among fans, but there is a genuine chance that he will turn into a David Ginola-type figure—a hero not because he is excellent, though he is, but rather because he provides the one shining light in a sea of churning shoes.
It doesn’t appear that Spurs’ season will be quite as fantastic as the best parts of 24/25, but it also won’t be nearly as horrible as the worst.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has no relics of glory, and there is no obvious path to their discovery. or even their intended nature.
