NLD defeat highlights Tottenham transfer needs this January – opinion
Following a 2-1 North London Derby defeat, Tottenham have now gone 14 seasons without a league win away to Arsenal. That stat should highlight just how much catching up Spurs have to do this January transfer window.
Tottenham opened the scoring against the run of play when the ball fell kindly to Son Heung-min at the edge of the box following a corner kick, who struck a sweet volley into the bottom corner of Raya’s net. Despite taking the lead and quieting a ferocious Arsenal crowd, Spurs failed to capitalise on the situation, conceding twice within four minutes near the end of the first half.
Arsenal’s first goal came from a controversially awarded corner after the ball seemed to go out of play following a touch from Leandro Trossard. The subsequent set-piece was met by a hard-fought header from Gabriel Magalhães which hit off Dominic Solanke and went over Spurs’ goal-line.
The Gunners’ second was the result of poor decision-making from Yves Bissouma, who got caught in possession in the middle of the park, sparking an Arsenal counterattack. Radu Dragusin failed to close down Trossard after he was given the ball on the left wing, the Belgian wiping out Tottenham’s lead before the half-time whistle.
While Ange Postecoglou made changes to his side at half-time, which did seem to help contain Arsenal better in the second half, Tottenham failed to create many clear-cut chances to get themselves back in the game and never looked like scoring. Tottenham have only one win in the nine league games since defeating Manchester City 4-0 away from home in November and sit 14th in the table.
Tottenham have issues beyond the injuries
It is always important to highlight how much Tottenham have struggled with injuries during this period. It seems like any time a player returns to fitness, another drops out, Richarlison and Werner being the most recent example of this.
Tottenham went to the Emirates with eight first-team players unavailable, a number that has stayed quite consistent throughout this period of poor form. It has forced Postecoglou to name nearly the same starting 11 each game because he simply doesn’t have the players to make major changes. This will take a toll on your fit players during the best of times, but never mind during the busy winter period when a team usually has a game once every three days.
This is why the January transfer window was deemed hugely important for Tottenham by fans and pundits, as it’s an opportunity to get new faces and fresh legs through the door. And Spurs started the window strong, bringing in 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague, to help the issues they were having between the posts in Guglielmo Vicario’s absence.
But what Spurs’ flat-footed North London Derby performance showed was that there is a deeper importance to the January transfer window than just aiding an injury crisis. It’s becoming clear that this Tottenham side need quality additions to the squad who will compete for the starting 11 amidst some really poor individual performances.
Individuals falling below the standards at Spurs
Both before and after his goal, Son was quiet in the 78 minutes he was on the pitch against Arsenal. It was another addition to a batch of very disappointing performances from the South Korean in the last few weeks.
In fairness to Son, the plan didn’t seem to be him playing as many minutes this season as he has had to in the long-term absences of Richarlison, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore. Postecoglou’s side is in dire need of a fresh, versatile winger who is confident in 1v1 situations and can drive towards the box with the ball at his feet.
Bissouma’s form has been inconsistent for an extended period now, and the North London Derby was another off night for the Mali international. Tottenham should be on the lookout for an out-and-out number 6 who can sit in front of Postecoglou’s defence and help in bringing the ball forward.
Many think Archie Gray can excel in this position and he’ll surely get his opportunity to do this when his services at centre-back are no longer needed, but there is no harm in Spurs looking for another body in this position, especially given the fact Bissouma will only have a year remaining on his contract this summer.
Many Tottenham fans are calling for cover on the left side of the defence, especially given the injury to Destiny Udogie. But providing cover in this area would potentially have implications on the opposite side of the defence. In Udogie’s absence, the once banished Djed Spence has been shining consistently while covering at left-back.
This is in contrast to Pedro Porro who has certainly been struggling for form in recent games. Signing a left-sided defender could potentially pave the way for Spence to battle for his right-back spot, creating competition that might spur Porro on somewhat.
Tottenham need impactful new signings
We are just over halfway through the January transfer window, and Tottenham fans have the right to believe that if Tottenham did act strongly during the remainder of the window, the players they bring in would make an impact.
If you go to pick out Spurs’ top performers during this tough period, you may settle on Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, all new additions to Ange Postecoglou’s side. Even Tottenham’s only signing so far this window, Kinsky has hit the ground running, keeping two clean sheets in his three matches and playing relatively well in his first Premier League start, despite what others may believe.
It’s hard to know if Tottenham will make moves, or who the players may be, such is the classified nature involved in the processes of Johan Lange and his team. With that being said, it has become imperative that Lange and Daniel Levy act accordingly and swiftly if they really want to back Ange Postecoglou to dig his team out of this slump.
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