Tottenham Hotspur is considered one of the top six sides in the English Premier League, and this was proved when they reached the Champions league in 2018, losing out to Liverpool. Since then, everything has gone downhill for Spurs (nickname for Tottenham Hotspurs). We look at possible reasons as to why this happened.

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1) Inconsistent Transfer Policy

If they are considered still a top-six side, Spurs need to invest more in the transfer market. Their inconsistent transfer policy over the years has halted the club from success a lot of times. There was a summer transfer window where they didn’t even spend a single penny on improving the squad, which proved to be fatal in the long term. The transfers that they have made over the past couple of seasons haven’t had the kind of impact on the team that they wanted to. Tanguy Ndombele has been the most expensive signing for the Spurs in their history. His first season proved to be nothing but disastrous. He showed signs of improvement at the start of the second season, but has failed to maintain that form. However, they have made some good additions by signing Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Steven Bergwin. They have had a decent start to their life at Spurs, but not the greatest.

 2) Overdependence on Kane and Son

Harry Kane and Heung Min Son are arguably the dangerous attacking duos out there. They have formed a lethal partnership up top for Spurs. They have contributed to more than 50 per cent of their goals this season. This statistic speaks for itself, and Spurs have to reduce their dependence on the two players. Otherwise, the transition for them into a title contender wouldn’t be possible. Earlier, they had the likes of Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli scoring the goals for them and Kane and Son, but with Eriksen leaving the club and Dele, not included in the squad more often than not, has reduced the number of goals spread across the team. They need to find players playing in different positions who can provide them with the goals.

3) Lack of chances for the young players

Spurs have been known to be a platform for young players to join, grow, and develop as a player. They have provided Harry Kane and Dele Alli the opportunity to grow and mature as players. They were known for delivering youth the basis for opportunities. This trend has significantly reduced over the years, and they have a brilliant youth academy system that is not being fully utilised by the spurs team. Japhet Tanganga, Oliver Skipp, and Dane Scarlett are not being promoted to the first team more often, and are left to rue their opportunities in the lower leagues/ lower lier matches. Giving the youth a chance has to be one of the most important points for them. This would help them grow in the present as well as build for the future.

4) Defensive Failures 

Spurs have been one of the sides known to leak goals for fun. Their lack of potency in the defense has caused them more often than not. They had the best center back partnership with Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderwield, but injuries and letting go of the former has led to spurs becoming a very shaky defense. Although they have replacements all over the defensive backline, those replacements and the starting squad aren’t living up to the hype and promise. Improving their defensive stability has to be one of the essential steps to build their team in the future.

5) Not backing the manager.

This is one of the crucial reasons why Spur’s decline started and is still going on. Mauricio Pochettino, one of the most successful managers at Spurs, didn’t win any trophies. He took the team to new heights. When he took over the squad, it was a mediocre one with a lot of potential. He was why the Spurs became title contenders in 2015/16 and reached the Champions League final in 2018. An abysmal start for the Spurs in the 2018/19 season led to his sacking, which was pretty unjustified. If they had stuck around and backed the manager for some time, they wouldn’t be in this position. A similar situation has been witnessed with Jose Mourinho. He had a brilliant start to the current season but was sacked for an inconsistent run of games. He led them to a carabao cup final as well, before which he was sacked. Spurs need to make sure that they back the manager till the very end. Only then can they expect some positive results in the coming years.