It’s something that every Tottenham fan looks at before the start of the season and sets as the target. It’s the top 4, and we all know it is a lot harder to break into that top 4 then a lot of people realize, and this season, it looks harder than ever for Tottenham. With the other teams rival to Tottenham constantly getting stronger, the challenge is as hard as anything, but can the Lilywhites do it?
We all remember what it was like in the season when we broke into the top 4, and it was amazing. But we combined a great team, with a lot of luck, with a free flowing style of football, and that is what we need now. With Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, a free scoring Jermaine Defoe and a defensive partnership of Ledley King and Michael Dawson, it was one of the best Tottenham teams I remember watching, and that is exactly what we need now. But it needs to be how the manager wants it.
At the time of writing, Tottenham have signed 2 players, both defenders, and have sold around 7 players, so essentially it is the same team as last season, just missing half the bench. Rumours of players coming in are always going to be coming in, with Saido Berahino looking highly likely to be the next player Spurs sign, and that would be a welcome addition to the squad, but is he what Spurs need to challenge, let alone break into the Champions League places. We would need a lot more than just Berahino to break the mold. But we need a lot more than a few players to achieve our goal. We need a different mentality, and a different mindset. A winning mindset.
We shouldn’t take another mentality from other teams that always seem to do well despite not playing as well as they could. Tottenham need to form their own identity, and rid themselves of the “Spursy” tag given to them by pretty much everyone. The whole image of starting off well with good potential then slipping away when it matters is what the club needs to change, and it may not be this coming season, but it will have to take a while to form.
Mauricio Pochettino needs to be given time to stamp his authority on a team, like he did at Southampton. We need to have a style of play that everyone associates with our club. But until that time comes, it will be very difficult for Tottenham to reach the Champions League again. The teams around us are just stronger, and their squads have a lot more experience when it comes to the “nitty gritty” side of the game. Manchester City are 2 time Premier League champions, Chelsea are the Champions, Manchester United still have a strong core, alongside a class manager and new additions, and Arsenal, well they’re Arsenal. The point is, these teams all have experience in knowing what to do when it gets tough towards the end of the season.
Tottenham need to find their feet with the new style, system and policy, and I feel like that will take a lot more time than we want. But the reward at the end of it all, the success (hopefully) will be worth it.
To answer the original question, I don’t think that we can get top 4 this season, but if we work on the playing side of Tottenham Hotspur, the coming years, alongside the new stadium, could be a fruitful one for our long suffering fans.
