Sport
Spurs need more than Janssen to be challenging for the title
Spurs need more than Janssen to be challenging for the title
As the 2015/16 Premier League season began to wind down, Tottenham Hotspur were still the pick for many pundits as title winners. With good reason too. Spurs need more than Janssen to be challenging for the title.
Arguably the north Londoners played some of the best football seen in the division during the campaign, Mauricio Pochettino evidently coming good on his promise of improvement in results and performances.
Despite this, Leicester’s dogged hold on the trophy only briefly loosened in the second half of the season and Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, after leading 2-0, was fatal to their chances.
The players’ reaction at full time said it all and Harry Kane’s contribution at the European Championship could well have been as a result of such a disappointing end to league proceedings. Dele Alli too looked far from the player that pulls on the Lilywhite shirt week in and week out.
In any event, on the eve of the new season there’s renewed hope for every team as they go again, and Spurs are no exception.
However, Pochettino has been inactive in the transfer market to say the least.
Ease the burden on Kane
Vincent Janssen has been captured to lighten Kane’s load at the sharp end but nothing else of note has happened down at White Hart Lane and that must be a concern.
The loyal amongst them will point to the fact that Tottenham did just fine with the team that they had last season thank you very much, but as everyone understands, a little freshen up in the close season is generally needed.
It keeps players on their toes and re-energizes the group. From Pochettino’s perspective, he’ll be able to squeeze the maximum out of staff who might well have otherwise rested on their laurels.
Frankly, if Janssen is the sum total of his spend for the summer, even taking into account the striker’s obvious merits, then Spurs are in for a long, hard season and certainly one that is unlikely to end as loftily as the last.
Lest we forget that there is a Champions League campaign to be negotiated on top of Premier League duty.
There’s a month to go before the window shuts so plenty of time for the Argentinian to do something in the market, however the walls are closing in.
As each day passes, the talent pool diminishes as top players are picked off with the regularity of a US draft exercise.
What a shame it would be for English football generally if a team that were so expansive and easy on the eye just a few short months ago, ended up being cast as perennial sleeping giants once more.
As all around them lash out hundreds of millions of pounds for new siginings, Daniel Levy is conspicuous by his absence.
He as much as anyone else was revelling in the reflected glory that began when the blue touch paper was lit 12 months ago.
Fans will demand that he keeps it burning brightly and gives Pochettino the side he, and they, deserve.
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