Strangely, after a whirlwind of a year, Tottenham have started the new year in the same position as they began the last one, in 5th place, albeit having played four games less (Premier League).
As well as the pack being much closer this time around, the main factor in the switch in feeling for Spurs fans is the team’s style, confidence, and progression.
Tottenham welcomed 2023 with a 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa, a defeat which felt as though it had kickstarted the downward spiral of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham team.
His side struggled for form after the unusual mid-season World Cup and his sacking was then followed by the circus of interim managers which ultimately led the club to 8th place.
Then enters Ange Postecoglou. The Australian embarked upon an astounding ten-game unbeaten run in the league which was brought to a crashing halt at home to Chelsea.
However, the atmosphere inside the ground following the defeat showed that faith in the club has been restored for many fans.
The team were applauded off despite the painful 4-1 loss against their bitter rivals, however, the fans’ unwavering support wasn’t enough to stop a run of five games without a win as Ange struggled to produce the same magic from a squad deprived of defensive and creative options.
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A win at home to Newcastle has appeared to breathe new life into Tottenham this season. Although the teams’ performances haven’t quite reached the same impressive nature as the opening ten games, it has shown glimpses to fans that the showings of the start of the season are back within touching distance.
The league table has afforded Spurs to have their recovery period too. Over the festive period despite missing key players, Tottenham were the third most in-form team, collating nine points from four games. It means that Spurs are now only a point away from Arsenal in fourth and five points off of the top spot.
Victory at home to Bournemouth on Sunday was vital. It means that Ange’s side has weathered the storm of injuries till January, which is obviously when the transfer window re-opens as well as ensuring Spurs capitalised on Arsenal’s dropped points and closed the gap between the top five, as well as pulling away from the sides below them. This impressive December form means that Postecoglou has firmly placed the ball in Daniel Levy’s court for January.
Fans were signing Postecoglou’s name from his first home game, indicating how adored he already is by the fan base. It’s now down to Levy to support the manager in the window and help amend the squad in the ways that the Australian requires to succeed.
Tottenham have a potential of four games in January, one being a crucial match away to Old Trafford. Postecoglou revealed his desire to not leave things late in this window as he stated, ‘Obviously if we can do business early it’s great for us… there’s a whole month there – why waste it?’ (TNT Sports).
It seems as though that’s a message that Ange has echoed through the club’s recruitment department too. It has been well-documented that Tottenham have been seeking a third-choice centre-back with Eric Dier out of favour which has caused Tottenham to start numerous games without a recognised central defender.
Radu Dragusin appears to be the chosen man to fit the bill, and according to Sky Sports, ‘Tottenham are now planning to move forward and close a deal for Genoa’s Radu Dragusin’ (Sky Sports).
Spurs’ January shopping is unlikely to stop there too as David Ornstein stated, ‘there may be little money to spend but that doesn’t mean Spurs cannot be creative to strengthen their squad’ and that ‘centre-back is the priority, and then potentially an attacker’ (The Athletic).
Injured Tottenham players are expected back soon
In addition to the potential of new arrivals throughout this month, there will be players returning to the team that hasn’t featured since November.
A huge boost to the squad that Postecoglou confirmed was Micky Van De Ven, Ange stated, ‘Micky has trained this week’ and that although he is ‘not too sure about tomorrow’s game but he might be involved in the squad, it is good to get him back’ (Spurs Official X Account).
Ange also confirmed that while Maddison isn’t quite ready, yet he has made progress and ‘running with the sports science crew’ (Football.London). Tottenham also released a video on Twitter (X) of players turning up at the team training ground which featured winger Manor Solomon, suggesting that he also may not be far off a return to action (Spurs Official X Account).
However, like most things for Tottenham this season, there is a mix of positives and negatives as Van De Ven returns to the squad at the same time three players leave it.
Yves Bissouma and Pape Mate Sarr jet off to AFCON for their respective countries while captain Son Heung-Min also heads off to international duty in the Asian Cup.
Although, even if all players reach the finals of their respective tournaments they will return to England in time Wolves at home in February, where they could possibly come back to a squad that is nearing being fully restored of its star talent.
Tottenham will set their sights on a Friday night game at home to Burnley in the FA Cup third round. Should they win the tie it will leave Spurs in contention for silverware that has eluded them ever since 2008 and with a squad finally of a similar, or possibly even better strength in comparison to the squad that started the season; maybe Tottenham fans could start to dream again.
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