5 reasons Tottenham fans should be optimistic when football returns
Things haven't exactly been joie de vivre at Tottenham Hotspur this season. They have endured a difficult season that saw them lose their long-standing manager Mauricio Pochhetino as an almost palpable divide grew between fans and the club.
But things aren't as bad for the lily whites as they seem to be. Here are five reasons the Spurs faithful should look forward to football returning, whenever that may be.
# 1: Jose's Second Season Syndrome
The erstwhile Special One, Jose Mourinho's flying start to life at Spurs quickly began to nosedive and may have been headed for a premature crash landing had the season not been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spurs, and Jose Mourinho, were setting all kinds of unfavourable records on the pitch. With an ever-growing injury list, the Portuguese tactician may not have even had the chance to lead his new club out for a successful second campaign. And that is where Mourinho usually leaves his mark: his second season.
Mourinho has won the league in his second managerial season at a club at five of his six previous employers. He only fell short at Manchester United who finished second to their neighbours, Manchester City, which Jose infamously claimed was 'one of his best achievements' in management.
In hindsight, finishing second with such a squad was no small feat. However, it cannot compare to Mourinho's Champions League and domestic league-winning second seasons with Porto and Inter Milan respectively. Or for that matter, breaking a plethora of La Liga records with Real Madrid to topple Pep Guardiola's hallowed Barcelona. In other words, you can be as sure about Jose Mourinho peaking in his second season as you can be about things turning toxic in his third.
Mourinho and Joao Sacramento have gotten to know the current crop. The duo has a few extra months on their hands to develop a plan of attack, or plan of defence as the case may be, for next season. It might be too far fetched to suggest Jose Mourinho's men would challenge Liverpool or Manchester City. But a return towards the summit of the table or lifting any major trophy will be deemed a mighty success.
# 2: A fit-again Harry Kane
Tottenham's talisman Harry Kane is at serious risk of literally running himself into the ground. Between hectic schedules for both club and country, the striker is making a habit of picking up muscle fatigue-related injuries. Every season the English captain is spending more and more time on the operating table, and consequently, less time banging in goals.
It is the striker's voracious hunger for finding the back of the net that causes him to portray Lazarus type recovery ability and get back on the field well ahead of schedule. Kane had already stated he would be back in plenty of time for the Euros. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Euro' 20 to be postponed by a year, Kane could well put his feet up for a bit and possibly save himself from doing irreversible long-term damage.
Kane's attacking counterparts Heung-min Son and Steven Bergwijn were also nursing injuries at the time of the league's indefinite stoppage. While, not officially on the injury list but who look both physically and emotionally spent, the likes of Dele Alli and Lucas Moura also have the opportunity to kick back and recharge their batteries.
# 3: NdomBaller
It is fair to say that things haven't gone to plan for Tanguy Ngombele, touted as one of the flops of the season, since the former Lyon maverick moved to N17. The NdomBelly jokes have been all too common. A large number of Spurs fans have already written him off and would happily cash in on Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain's reported interest. But such talk is far, far too premature as the calibre of the clubs mentioned above suggests.
Whenever on the pitch and the ball, Ndombele looks levels above the rest. He simply does things in congested space that is only comparable to the enigmatic, midfield magician he was bought to replace: Mousa Dembele. The problem is his time on the pitch has been all too infrequent due to poor fitness. When out of possession, Ndombele looks almost disinterested or utterly incapable of completing defensive duties.
Despite limited minutes, Mourinho has identified Ndombele as a critical player. He has called him out publicly to seek a reaction from the player. Mourinho even broke government protocol to get in an extra training session with the Frenchman last week. This was seen as an apparent psychological attempt to make Ndombele feel like he remains an essential member of the Spurs team.
Pochettino said we would not see the best of Tanguy Ndombele for at least a year, citing Son Hyeong Min and Moussa Sissoko as examples. As Alasdair Gold noted, no other Spurs player has completed more dribbles (5.22), won more attacking duels (8.49), or completed more passes in the final third (6.28) per 90 than Ndombele. Patience is the keyword here, and Ndombele's potential is worth it.
He is a player that dominated Manchester City both home and away in last season's Champions League, and barely missed a minute in Ligue 1. It seems something is going on behind the scenes. It could be a mental or medical issue. But if Spurs can manage to sort it out they may suddenly have the game-changing maestro they smashed their transfer record for.
# 4: Champions League football?
This one is still up in the air. But let's just consider that the league is deemed null and void. Tottenham would possibly hold on to their Champions League place in the most 'unspursy' thing to ever happen.
Would they deserve it? Definitely not. Would some fans sacrifice it to spite Levy and Joe Lewis? Probably. Would all that be forgotten once the glorious Champions League anthem echoes around the new stadium on a floodlit evening? Absolutely.
When a feeble Spurs were swatted out of the competition by debutants RB Leipzig without even putting up a fight, the Tottenham faithful feared that would be the last Champions League campaign for a while. Possibly one of the previous European evenings they would witness for quite some time. It was a mighty fall from grace for previous year's finalists. It was an unacceptable manner to bow out for a team that waited for so long to get the highest calibre of football back to the club.
Spurs have made some great memories in the Champions League over the last decade. Gareth Bale's second-half hat-trick, Peter Crouch's winner at the San Siro, victories over the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and, of course, Lucas Moura's injury-time in Amsterdam, the lily whites have done them all. The club would love to spend the next decade, making more European memories.
Players like Harry Kane and Son need to be playing Champions League football at the peak of their powers. As the great Bill Nicholson once said:
"If we're not in Europe we're nothing. We're nothing."
# 5: Eric Dier's revival at centre-back?
It's hard for Spurs fans not to have some sort of soft spot for Eric Dier. The Englishman is a no-nonsense utility man who led the way in the infamous 'Battle of the Bridge' and marched up the stands to confront a mouthy fan and protect his brother. But one thing that certainly hasn't endeared Dier to the Tottenham faithful is his performances over the last couple of seasons.
Mourinho's arrival was supposed to spark Dier's form revival. But he looked as slow and cumbersome as ever as he slogged around the centre of the park. However, after a polarising display against Wolves, Dier publically stated that centre-half is his preferred position. He also enjoyed a few decent performances there before the league got suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It seemed an opportune moment to break his silence on the matter. The old guard partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld has passed. Jose Mourinho needs a couple of the current crop to stake a claim for a regular spot and solidify the porous defence. If any funds are available during the next window, they will almost certainly go towards improving other areas.
Last week Eric Dier received a ban for his conduct before the Norwich game, a match in which Dier was ironically Spurs' best player. Fans can only hope that Dier stays as fit and as sharp as possible between now and his next appearance. They would also expect that he can continue to progress in the position he was initially bought to play in. He's still only 26 years of age, and it would be nice to see him find a role in the team's rebuild.