Tottenham’s dwindling form is proof that problems run deeper than managerial incompetence
A lot has changed for Tottenham Hotspur since December. The North London outfit ended last year at the top of the Premier League and were flying high. However, in the past five months, it’s been one struggle after another. Not a lot has changed following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
Interim manager Ryan Mason has had his moments since taking over. However, the fact that rivals Arsenal are now just a point below Spurs highlights how massive their slump has been.
A few months ago, Tottenham were title contenders. Now, though, they will be very lucky if manage to secure a place in the Europa League at the end of the season.
Little change at Tottenham since Mourinho's departure
The football on display under Mourinho was dire, at times, and some thought the Portuguese was responsible for the club’s dwindling fortunes. However, very little has changed since Mourinho was sacked. Tottenham have won just three matches from six and now risk finishing below Arsenal.
One of Spurs’ biggest challenges under Mourinho was their inability to hold on to leads. This hasn’t changed under Mason and the team lost 2-1 to Aston Villa last week despite taking an early lead. Mourinho had his shortfalls but it’s obvious he wasn’t solely to blame for Tottenham's poor performances.
Tottenham have to address more than the managerial situation at the club
Tottenham have not won a major trophy in more than a decade despite employing six different managers within that period. This means that the club’s problems run deeper than managerial incompetence, as some had suggested in the past.
Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho are both world-class managers but still failed to deliver any trophies at Spurs. Tottenham are clearly a team that lacks winners. The club have failed to invest in signing players that have the talent and character to fight for trophies.
“Jose [Mourinho] obviously expected us to be men and act like men on the pitch, have leaders on the pitch,” Spurs skipper Harry Kane told Gary Neville on The Overlap.
“Jose just wanted to win. That was the mentality he was trying to put into the players at Spurs, do anything to win. I think like you said, we did become more streetwise, but maybe there were relationships that didn’t quite work there. But from my point of view, he was great for me," Kane added.
Kane, who is rumoured to be pushing for an exit from the club, is clearly aware that things are not running smoothly at Tottenham. The current structure makes it easy for managers to fail. Until changes are made, the club cannot expect to win trophies anytime soon.