As if this year had not been enough, Tottenham enthusiasts had to load some other unknown delight on their development list by 2020: a very active moving window in which the business developed smoothly, temporarily and early. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Matt Doherty, Gareth Bale, Sergio Reguilon, Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius walked through the door.
All transactions were comfortably completed before the afternoon. Also Monday, the deadline, which will have left some hair on the heads of Spurs enthusiasts used to the nervous results of the market.
Monday’s only action was the possible signing of Inter Milan’s central Martin Skriniar, but Skriniar is a smart player, José Mourinho would be delighted with the central defensive features at his disposal, so there was no desperate rush to complete the play. It was reported that the agreement was off the table long before the window was gently closed and the latch returned to its resting place.
In addition to being happy with his headquarters, Mourinho, one imagines, will nevertheless be happy with the rest of the squad. Players who have come will be able to do a task immediately, only Reguilón and Vinicius will require perhaps some time to adapt.
The profile and shape of the Spurs’ summer signings are a significant replacement for the club’s past modus operandi. Under Daniel Levy’s leadership, the club has been known for its insistence on recruiting other young people with resale price and pushing the agreements to the end to get the cash price possible.
While this is admirable in many tactics, and has been a good fortune in many cases, Mourinho has had to ask for another technique this year. The players who arrived are evidently their players.
All of them are experienced professionals, with the youngest being the winner of the Europa League, Sergio Reguilón at the age of 23. They’re usually tall and athletic. And in Bale, the Spurs have a real foreign superstar.
In September, Mourinho said: “A team is a puzzle. And when a new firm completes the puzzle, it’s wonderful for the team. Levy put the puzzle pieces on his coach’s table and, as a result, the highlight is now turning to the Portuguese, will he be there to rebuild them?
Recent symptoms are promising. After a bad first-day loss at Everton, Tottenham is much taller and is now a team capable of alternating their technique with and the ball.
Manchester United’s 6-1 demolition on Sunday hit fans a lot, with Tottenham able to knock out the Red Devils 10 men. But what Mourinho would have liked even more functionality in the 28 minutes Antony Martial is still in the field.
Even in the game opposed to 11, the Spurs were by far the team, causing unrest to the home team with their tactical variations.
For the Spurs’ first purpose on Sunday, eight white T-shirts crowded the most sensitive on the field, forcing Harry Maguire to make a mistake and gave Tanguy Ndombele the chance to locate the network. For the Spurs’ second, a long pass went to Heung-min Son, Harry Kane won and temporarily kicked loose and Son was far from United’s baseline.
The alternation between a high and low defensive line and between a quick counterattack and sustained property gives Tottenham a foul last season and what makes them dangerous.
And the new firms have already contributed to this improvement. Doherty and Reguilon are smart players and carry an offensive push by the bands and a festival for the zagueros. Joe Hart tempers the costumes with the joy of trophies and Hojbjerg’s defensive balance: intercepting, destroying. The opposition attacks and protects the 4 sides, certainly essential.
At other times in Sunday’s game, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay, Fred and Donny van de Beek all played in this central area and none of them were going to take over the Dane’s eldest.
Finally, when Gareth Bale returns from injury, he will pass hands, without other seasons, Kane surrendered to become a supplier, and the assists he gives Son have been exceptionally productive, with Bale that risk will only increase and Kane’s assists will likely be to increase even more.
After 12 difficult months, things are looking up for Tottenham and credit will have to be awarded where it is due. Levy was flexible enough to replace his technique and Mourinho remodeled the raw curtains provided in a team capable of betting on other tactics opposed to other warring parties and even the conversion technique in the same match.
Trophies can never be guaranteed, and this season, more than any prediction, is a damaging game, however, the foundations that have been laid will give Spurs enthusiasts some hope for the busy football season ahead.
I write about a variety of topics, but I specialize in English, European and South American football. For Forbes, I write basically about two groups in my hometown, Tottenham.
I write about a variety of topics, but I specialize in English, European and South American football. For Forbes, I write basically about two groups from my hometown, Tottenham and Arsenal. Elsewhere, I have had reports, interviews and articles published in English and Portuguese through The Guardian, UOL Esporte, The Blizzard, GiveMeSport, Planet Football and Trivela. I am the founding editor of Yellow and Green Football, an online page committed to Brazilian football.