Tottenham Throws Away Top 4
"We were not prepared to play this type of tough and important match"
After just 4 games in charge, Interim coach Cristian Stellini has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspurs. “The decision to change the system was mine,” he said after what was was a moderately uncomfortable 6-1 match to watch versus Newcastle this weekend.
With 6 games to go, what is Tottenham trying to achieve? Did the Interim manager have a goal he missed? Is elevating former assistant coach Ryan Mason to interim manager the type of smart executive decision that had brought Tottenham up to the Top 6 Club discussion?
By the end of Match-week 28, following the 3-3 draw with Southampton and the final game Antonio Cante would manage at Tottenham, the club sat in 4th place in the league with 49pts, albeit that they had played 2 more games than 5th Newcastle United who were 47pts.
It was time for Antonio Conte to go but with a Top 4 finish very realistically achievable at his time of sacking, Tottenham decided to forgo a final push and elevate the now sacked interim Cristian Stellini. Were there no better options available?
The more top tier managers that were (and are) available for immediate hire at this time include(d) Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio, Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Enrique, and Julian Nagelsmann.
Let’s assume the decision makers at Tottenham acted responsibly and pushed hard to bring in one of these top tier managers and failed. Its entirely possible these managers rejected the prospect of taking on the Tottenham job on such a short notice, nearly at the end of the season and with no real prospect or direction of what the future holds for the club.
The next responsible action in this hypothetical might be to jump down a (few) tiers and seek an interim manager that could bring a boost to the club, elevate the morale, and possibly give the team the energy and short-term tactical nous they need to achieve a top 4 Champions League qualification.
But who is available in this managerial tier/profile? Ole Gunnar Solskjær who finished in 3rd and 2nd place in the two full seasons coached at Manchester United was available. Jesse Marsch, who although has no on-paper accomplishment to flaunt, is a manager known for his team chemistry and positive morale influence. Rafael Benítez, who is the poster-boy of short-term appointments was referenced as a "fixer" for Real Madrid due to his reputation for being able to turn around struggling teams and implement conservative but effective tactical systems.
Let us allow the Tottenham decision makers the benefit of the doubt. Let us assume the club did their homework, analyzed the more top tier managers that were available and stop-gap options and none of the managers fit the profile they are seeking. Let’s assume the management team decided that instead of seeking improved coaching, the players on this squad alone, with any manager, should be able to achieve a top finish, how have the players performed?
Harry Kane is having a fabulous season for Tottenham. Kane, once and maybe still (irrationally) labeled as injury-prone, has made 32 league appearances and scored 24 league goals. He has done his job.
Kane aside, the big money signings and regular Spurs high-performers have floundered this season. Heung-min Son has only scored 8 league goals and Richarlison has zero league goals in 21 appearances. Zero league goals.
The midfield of Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg and [insert whoever else] is among the worst in the league, comfrotably comparable to the likes of Southampton, Forest, Everton, Leicester City, Leeds etc.
The defense is no better. Cristian Romero started for a World Cup winning Argentina a few months ago but watch him alongside Eric Dier & Ben Davies and he plays to their lower-level.
The worst case scenario is now looming for Spurs. With the departure of Harry Kane looking more inevitable, Newcastle cementing their position for the top 4 finish this season and Chelsea and Liverpool publicly showing more of an appetite to improve, Tottenham are positioned for big catastrophic club collapse.
Realistically, the decision to forgo appointing a longterm or more enthusiastic interim coach was likely down to finances. This is an issue for Tottenham as spending money is required if the North London club wants to improve.
Tottenham do not have a strong track-record of recent successful singings like a Brighton or a Newcastle. Nor do they have any up and coming young stars like a Saka or Martenelli to build around. And they most certainly do not have Man City or even Man Utd’s financial strength to make the ~100mil type of signings.
Daniel Levy needs to go back to his roots, and reject the vanity of star managers like Jose Mourniho and Conte, stop signing mid-table players like Höjbjerg and Bissouma, stop signing big club rejects like Lenglet and Emerson Royal. There’s too many careless errors that have now piled up.
The differentiator for Tottenham in the past would have been their shrewd executive decision making. The type of decision making that brought the hire of Pochettino or picking-up and promoting quality players like Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen, Kieran Trippier, Toby Alderweireld, Mousa Dembélé etc.
We may be witnessing the changing of the Top 6 guard, and Tottenham have no one to blame but themselves. The clubs’ all or nothing pursuit of vanity for the purpose of enhancing their image and reputation has put them in this dangerous position and like a streaming service, Tottenham will need to differentiate or face the consequences of being dropped.