All of a sudden, Spurs find themselves at a critical juncture in their season. Tuesday night’s defeat to Leicester City, following on from the North London derby defeat to Arsenal and the weekend’s home draw to West Brom, has dropped Mauricio Pochettino’s side out of the top four, meaning they have lost their last three away league games.
Pochettino highlighted his side’s lack of fight after the loss at the King Power Stadium. “It’s difficult to analyse the game in the way that we started, so sloppy,” the Argentine tried to reason. “Our performance in the first half disappointed us a lot. It’s not about tactics or a different system or the selection or the starting XI. The collective performance was so poor. I think in football, first of all you must compete, you must fight, you must be focused and then of course your quality will appear. But Leicester showed more than us.”
However, Pochettino is looking past Spurs’ biggest issue. He must surely, at least in private, recognise how depth has become a problem for his team. A lack of fight might have come from a lack of energy, perhaps even motivation. This is where squad rotation can be useful. It works as a method of keeping players fresh, but also of keeping focus. That’s what Spurs have lost.
Of course, Spurs have one of the strongest starting lineups in the Premier League. They have one of the best goalkeepers, two of the best centre-backs and one of the strongest midfield units. They also have Dele Alli, one of the league’s best-attacking midfielders and Harry Kane, probably the best out-and-out centre-forward in the European game. When fit and ready, Spurs can topple any opponent, as they showed against Real Madrid.
However, beyond that starting lineup, Spurs are thin on the ground. Fernando Llorente was signed as a back up to Kane during the summer, and the Spaniard has proved himself to be an effective option. However, he is most useful when deployed alongside Kane as a foil, as someone to knock down long balls to the England international. He allows Spurs to play a more direct style of play.
Against Leicester, it became clear that Pochettino needs a way to get his Spurs team up the pitcher, and quicker. On the other side, Jamie Vardy did exactly that for the Foxes, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 win. Vardy is the kind of player Spurs need and that’s why they should make a move for him in January
Spurs need someone to stretch the pitch, not just getting them closer to goal faster, but affording space to others. They need someone who can get in behind and run the channels. Vardy fits the bill. There’s reason to believe he would also compliment Kane well. On the odd occasion they have started together for England, there have been signs of a partnership.
Vardy had the opportunity to leave Leicester not so long ago, with Arsenal making an offer for the striker. Of course, at that time he chose to stay. But Leicester had just been crowned champions. They had a Champions League campaign to look forward to. Now, all that is gone. Plus, Vardy is now 30. Spurs could give him one last shot at a final hurrah. It’s a move that would surely appeal to all parties.
Reinforcements are needed this January if Spurs are to arrest their current slump and challenge near the top of the Premier League table. Pochettino has the makings of a great team, but other factors are letting them down. Against Leicester, they might have suffered a damaging defeat, but in Vardy they might also have been afforded a glimpse of the way forward.
