Premier League: What to Expect from the Top Six in 2018/19

Tottenham Hotspur

Mauricio Pochettino is yet to make a major signing

Tottenham Hotspur always seem to be on the cusp of breaking into Europe’s elite, but something ultimately happens which anti-catalyses the fact, and instead brandishes upon them a title of being 'Spursy'.

When Tottenham topped the Champions League group involving Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, the stage was set for them to shake off the dust of the past seasons and establish a new identity for themselves.

Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalise on their aggregate as well as away goals advantage and were tossed out of Europe by a rejuvenated Juventus side.

In the Premier League, a dry spell involving points dropped against Watford, West Brom, and the likes, when added to the time they took to settle into Wembley Stadium, effectively halted Tottenham’s title challenge mid-season.

The key reason for the same was that the squad was being stretched to its limit. There was no substitute for Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, and Dele Alli. It was widely recognised that those three men defined how Spurs' matches went, and hence how their season went.

When they had to endure to the maximum, performances inexorably dropped.

Spurs' Triple Threat

As Mauricio Pochettino himself said, it was vital that signings were made early so that they could really fit into the team well in time for the start of the season. As it stands, the main elements of their squad will be returning late from World Cup exertion, and they have no new faces being brought in.

One wonders what the reason was behind Spurs not moving for Jack Grealish, and why they have waited so long to bid for Wilfried Zaha and even Anthony Martial. One possibility is that the shortage of funds owing to the renovation of their stadium White Hart Lane.

But Spurs must find ways to combat it if they want to reach the summit, where their ambitions lie. However, all this sets the tone, once more, of déjà vu.