We have a big summer and a big season ahead of us at Tottenham Hotspur. A rebuild is needed and if significant progress is not made on and off the pitch over the next 12 months, the club could risk falling far behind in the Premier League landscape.
With Nuno Espirito Santo finally announced as the new Spurs head coach, I wanted to take a look at ten things I want to see from him next season:
Test out a back five: Nuno was famed for his back five at Wolves in the club’s first two Premier League seasons. I think players like Reguilon, Tanganga, Davies, Rodon and Sessegnon could thrive in that formation next season.
Progress young talent: I want to see Oliver Skipp, Ryan Sessegnon, Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon getting lots of minutes, as well as some real youngsters like Dan Scarlett. We are in the Europa Conference League, after all.
Attacking football: Nuno isn’t exactly famed for it but he has done it in the past. I get the impression that he adapts his way of playing to the club and the players, so hopefully, we can see some attractive, fast, free-flowing football again next season.
Fitness and sports science: During the Pochettino years, even when Spurs were out of form, they were still always the fittest players on the pitch. I want to move back to an emphasis on sports science to bring with it fitness and the opportunity for high pressing.
Top six finish: Expecting Nuno to get back into the Champions League in his first season amidst a rebuild would be unrealistic. I would expect a top-six finish and to at least be within touching distance of the top four.
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Talk to Harry Kane: Whether he wants to leave or not, Nuno needs Kane to buy into and believe in the latest North London project. When Kane returns from holiday, Nuno needs to have a sit-down meeting with him immediately.
Look after key players: People like Kane, Son and Hojbjerg always get overplayed. Therefore they either get injured or heavily fatigued by the end of the season. I’m hoping that Nuno has a better grasp over player rotation.
Bridge the gap: Perhaps the most important point, I want Nuno to try and bridge the gap between the club and the fans again. It feels as if we are now more customers than fans and it’s up to Nuno to do what Pochettino did and bring us all together again.
Win a cup: At the very least, Spurs should be winning the Europa Conference League, even if it is a bit of a joke. Beyond this, I would love to see Nuno take the Carabao and FA Cups seriously and I suspect that he will.
Take Mourinho tips: Mourinho got a few things right in his 18-months that we should carry forward. The most important being Kane’s new role when he drops deep to create and the new style of partnership with Heung-min Son up front.
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