Tottenham Hotspur: A New Era Dawns | OneFootball

In my Tottenham season preview I mentioned that it really was the end of an era with South Korean superstar Son Heung-min leaving the club. Son was the last player from the 2019 Champions League final team to finally move on.

This testament has been compounded by Friday’s shocking news that Daniel Levy has stood down as chairman of the club after 25 years. There will be much to discuss as the dust settles from this bombshell announcement, but let’s have a look Tottenham’s start to the Premier League season as we head into the international break.

The curse

International breaks have been a massive, ten year curse for the North London outfit. I couldn’t quite believe the stat myself, but Tottenham are winless in every game played before the international break since 2015! Do the players representing their country’s have their heads in their suitcases? Is it pure coincidence? No matter, it’s a trend that needs to be broken. The latest game in question was last Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. Supporters were in high spirits after an impressive start to the season, but Tottenham really do struggle to shake that annoying ‘Spursy’ tagline and it seems to be lingering for a while longer.

Early promise

After nearly beating European champions PSG in the Super Cup, Thomas Frank’s men comfortably beat Burnley 3-0 in the season opener at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They then managed to record a 2-0 victory away at Manchester City. Everything was looking rosey. A goal of the season contender from Richarlison, two clean sheets, Mohammed Kudus ripping it up down the wing, too good to be true right? Yes, it was.

Back to reality

The Bournemouth result was stark return of the last season’s Tottenham. A lack of creativity, no cutting edge and quite frankly (and that’s not a pun on the new manager) not much interest from the players. Against City Spurs recorded 12 shots on goal with 5 on target. Against Bournemouth they registered 5 shots on goal and only 1 on target. It’s just not good enough. This will be a harsh reminder for Frank that he still has his work cut out with this squad. A star-studded squad, with lots of talent, but are there underlying issues of motivation for these well paid athletes?

Thomas needs an engine

There’s no doubt that Frank is already having an impact on the team. They look more organised, with players seemingly understanding their positioning better. The Dane has a well respected reputation and focuses heavily on the analysis of the game. However, he may need to work on the midfield a bit harder. Whether in a five or three formation, Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and João Palhinha looked rather lost against the Cherries.

This was incredibly frustrating, because all of them were superb against City. Palhinha was on the scoresheet and Sarr covered pretty much every blade of grass on the pitch. It’s been no secret that Spurs are desperate for a number 10 to make their midfield tick and the signing they made just before their disappointing home defeat could be a deal breaker.

Window success

I never thought I’d write these words, but this could be the best transfer window I’ve seen in a long time at Tottenham. With the injury to James Maddison, Xavi Simons looks to be the ideal replacement. The soap opera circus surrounding Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze’s not signing nearly made the Lilywhites look like a laughing stock. Never fear, with Simons and then a deadline day loan deal for PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani being agreed, Spurs could have a front three feared by most of Europe, not just the Premier League.

Remember the word…. Spursy

Let’s not get carried away though. There’s still lots of questions marks over the team, but there is with every club in the country. Not all fans will be happy at the same time, it’s impossible. There’s still a worry whether Richarlison and Dominic Solanke can get enough goals through the middle. There was no centre-back or left-wing purchase. I personally don’t think the left-wing is a big problem, as there’s plenty of quality in the squad and versatility for that position. It was time for Son to move on and someone else to play on the left. It was also time for Daniel Levy to move on and if these new signings hit the ground running it could be a real mic drop moment from the former chairman.