Premier League 2019/20: 4 reasons why Tottenham can make a real title charge
The new Premier League season is well and truly on the horizon – there’s less than a week to go before it kicks off now – and while fans of some clubs probably have some concerns, for Tottenham fans this time there’s a lot to be hopeful for.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side enjoyed a fruitful 2018/19, and while the ending to their Premier League season got a bit sticky, reaching the Champions League final and finishing 4th to secure a spot in Europe’s biggest competition for the upcoming season meant many fans were happy.
But could Spurs really go one better this season and make a real push for the Premier League title against likely rivals Manchester City and Liverpool? Potentially. And here are 4 reasons why.
#1 Ndombele will offer a more dynamic option in midfield
Tottenham’s midfield was largely a conundrum last season; at times they looked fantastic in the centre of the pitch, but during other games they looked horribly short and over-run, even against lower-level opposition. The majority of the time, the issue for Mauricio Pochettino’s side was down to personnel issues.
Essentially, when Spurs were at full strength in the centre of the pitch – with the metronomic passing of Harry Winks, the raw physicality of Moussa Sissoko and the creative talents of Christian Eriksen – they were able to succeed, but if one or more of the three were missing, suddenly big issues were exposed. The biggest issue? In the absence of the injured Winks towards the end of the season, Eriksen was consistently forced to drop deeper to collect the ball, largely nullifying his creativity.
Thankfully though, after two transfer windows with no incoming talent, Pochettino has been able to plug the hole in the middle of the park with a new player – the ultra-talented Frenchman Tanguy Ndombele. Sure, the former Lyon man cost a lot of money – a club record initial £55m – but he offers just what Tottenham appear to require right now.
Ndombele has the raw physicality to allow him to play from a deep-lying role, but he’s also able to make defence-slicing passes like a more creative force – he delivered 7 assists for Lyon last year, with a total of 47 key passes and a success rate of 89.1%. Basically, he should replace Moussa Dembele, who was sold to China last January and never replaced.
Adding Ndombele into the mix alongside the three afore-mentioned players means that Tottenham shouldn’t be caught short against anyone in the upcoming season, even if an injury arises. One player really shouldn’t make that much difference – but in this case the Frenchman could prove to be the key to a real title push for Pochettino’s men.