Before you build a mansion, you must first set solid foundations. Failing to do so might mean your beautiful house one day sinks into the ground, causing a ripple effect of issues that render all the joyful items inside broken. What good is a 90” TV if it’s mounted on a cracked wall? A shag rug on a moving floor, speckled with mould?
Ange Postecoglu delivered a mirthful glance down the barrel of Amazon’s camera on Thursday, in the aftermath of yet another Brighton goal. It was the kind of fourth-wall-breaking look that The Office’s Jim Halpert would be proud of, and it said it all: The walls are cracking, the floor is sinking, and he, like so many of the supporters, is at a loss as to what to do next.
Rewind just a couple of months and the story is so, so different: Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie formed one of - if not the - most impressive defensive lines in the league. Behind them Guglielmo Vicario starred, in front of them Yves Bissouma shone. As a unit, they were splendid, providing the foundation of Spurs’ thrilling play.
Since then, injuries and suspensions have wrecked that unit. Bissouma and Romero have missed chunks of games due to cards, while Van de Ven’s scary hamstring injury means he’s been out for almost two months and counting. Add in various other ailments to James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr, Richarlison and more, and it’s been tough for Postecoglu to deliver anything close to a consistent team since the start of the November.
These absences have utterly derailed Tottenham’s season. Before that fateful 4-1 loss to Chelsea, where everything went wrong, Spurs’ WhoScored average team rating was 6.89, second-best in the Premier League; in the games since, it’s dropped to 6.70, good for only eighth-best.
Perhaps they could have coped better if the injuries had been concentrated on the forward line. After all, this team is full of goalscoring potential, back to front and in depth. But in defence it is skin-deep, a fact laid brutally bare in the absence of both Romero and Van de Ven.
Postecoglu has opted to play full-back Emerson Royal alongside Ben Davies in central defence in their absence, leaving natural centre-back Eric Dier on the bench in the process. That’s a stylistic choice, based largely on ball-playing ability, as the coach prioritises clean buildup from the back over traditional defensive grit.
😖 No team has conceded more Premier League goals than Tottenham (19) since the start of November pic.twitter.com/oCrxjXWEfp
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 29, 2023
It has worked to a degree, but even during recent wins over Nottingham Forest and Everton, you could tell the defence was hanging on by a thread at times. Then there’s the Brighton debacle, in particular the first goal, where Emerson just seems to…forget that he’s playing centre-back, instead chasing Joao Pedro into the corner, then letting himself get dragged across the edge of the box in pursuit, causing a cascade of positional issues that leave Jack Hinshelwood free at the back post.
It was the first, but not the only time Emerson would go missing in the game; at times it felt like Ben Davies was single-handedly defending the centre of the pitch, with no Bissouma to help marshall the space either. His goal at the end was just reward for his own heroic, yet also flawed, individual efforts.
With these issues plaguing the spine of your team, it’s hard to construct anything that’s sustainably good. After all, you can’t hang a 90” flatscreen on a cracked wall. Romero’s out for another month; Van de Ven’s pending return must be treated with caution; Emerson obviously isn’t the answer; and if Dier’s deemed not fit for purpose, well… there’s simply no other solution than to turn to the market.
Spurs have already been linked to quite the list of players: Radu Dragusin (Genoa), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham), Ben Godfrey and Jarrad Branthwaite (both Everton), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice), Joe Gomez (Liverpool); the shortlist appears to be a long one.
Spurs' decision-makers have a tough job here. They need to identify and successfully sign a player - or two - that is good enough to step into the heart of Spurs’ top-four chasing team and steady the ship, but also be content with the fact that, when fit, Romero and Van de Ven are undoubtedly the first-choice duo. It’s like a recurrence of the Harry Kane backup conundrum, rearing its hard in a different position and far too soon for comfort.
If it comes to it, though, Spurs may have to make some promises they simply cannot keep, as their seasonal aspirations will go up in smoke if the current course continues. No team has conceded more goals than Tottenham (19) since the beginning of November, a horrid and damning stat that hammers home how urgent the situation is.
