With Premier League survival assured, an inquest into Tottenham Hotspur could begin with a choice of a new captain.
Spurs managed to avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth. Their win against Everton over the weekend saw them over the line, but Premier League survival was only the preliminary step in making Tottenham competitive again.
Amongst the plethora of issues that this season has put the spotlight on, amongst them certainly are the well-publicised leadership issues within the Spurs squad.
Even if Cristian Romero’s frantic and spontaneous return for the Everton game from Argentina, where he was supposed to remain until the World Cup, wasn’t enough of an indication of rudderless player leadership, their track record certainly is.
The rumours of a player rebellion that led to Thomas Frank’s sacking, poor timekeeping, training pitch standards dropping, as well as the clear on-pitch issues like the players’ problems with responding to adversity. All paint a picture of a dressing room dealing with a serious lack of strong voices to keep other players in check.
The current captain Cristian Romero’s, future at the club is uncertain to say the least, and one of the first decisions that Roberto De Zerbi can make to start addressing the poor player culture is in naming his new captain.
So what are his options?
Micky van de Ven has shown he could captain Tottenham in the most adverse of circumstances
The Dutch defender would be the first to admit he hasn’t played the best of seasons. But despite his and his team’s poor form, and during the many absences of Cristian Romero, the responsibility to wear the armband fell to Micky van de Ven all the same.
He led the team out for some of Spurs’ most challenging games, and following the most difficult of results, and as a result, his teammates are likely to trust his experience as a leader.
Being a member of the preexisting leadership group chosen by Thomas Frank, van de Ven became De Zerbi’s captain of choice for all but his first game in charge.
And Roberto De Zerbi clearly appreciates the centre back’s abilities, calling him “the best left centre back in the league,” and van de Ven could be a natural choice for the Italian manager as the new captain.
But equally, De Zerbi does have cause for concern regarding van de Ven’s ability to calm down a rambunctious dressing room or deal with negativity. In a show of mutiny, he walked past and ignored Thomas Frank’s attempts to get him to acknowledge the fans after the away defeat to Chelsea, and was involved in a spat with a Tottenham fan during the away game to Bournemouth.
Pedro Porro never gave Spurs fans a reason to doubt his commitment
Pedro Porro, despite being one of the more prominent voices in the leadership setup under Ange Postecoglou, was never selected as a member of Thomas Frank’s leadership group.
Porro nonetheless quickly established himself as a crucial player for every manager that came through the door at Tottenham this season.
And while the credibility of captains like Romero and van de Ven was called into question due to their, at times, questionable behaviour, Pedro Porro has never given the fans a reason to doubt his commitment to the club.
Due to other absences, Porro ended up captaining the side on a few occasions this season, most notably for their draw at Anfield, meaning that if De Zerbi chose Porro as his new captain, the Spaniard would take up the role with some experience behind his belt.
James Maddison could bring experience and calmness, which the team lacked without him
The one thing that speaks in favour of selecting Micky van de Ven as the new Tottenham captain can also be seen as an argument for James Maddison’s candidacy for the position.
Maddison, of course, missed all but the very end of the season with his cruciate ligament injury and wasn’t able to help see the team through some of its most difficult moments.
His absence was also keenly felt around the dressing room and training pitch, with reports indicating that there was a lack of voices ready to pick the team up and refocus them on the task ahead, and as an older player could bring the necessary experience to lead the group.
At the same time, Maddison’s limited involvement with first-team action this season could mean that the countless defeats the team suffered will weigh less heavily on him. Maddison also seems a popular figure in the squad, and his outspokenness and willingness to stand up for the club make him a great candidate for the captaincy.
Joao Palhinha with the outside shout to be involved
Joao Palhinha might seem like a surprising inclusion in this list, especially considering that he may not be a Tottenham Hotspur player this season. Palhinha, who arrived on a loan deal from FC Bayern, is set to return to his home club on June 1st, when the domestic season officially ends.
However, Roberto De Zerbi couldn’t have given a clearer indication that he would have preferred to secure Joao Palhinha’s services for another season. Palhinha’s passion for the club and desire to leave everything on the pitch could be valuable additions to the team. If Palhinha stays, it would be no surprise to see him involved in the leadership group, even if not as the outright captain.
A new player altogether could give the Tottenham dressing room the necessary refresh
There is another option for Roberto De Zerbi, depending on how drastically he wants to cull his playing squad, which is to bring in an altogether new player to serve as Tottenham captain.
Drawing a hard line in the sand below this season could be a way for De Zerbi to signal to his players how unacceptably low the standards have dropped while, at the same time, beginning a new era at Tottenham Hotspur.
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