Tag: Joe Rodon

Five talking points from Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to West Ham

Son badly needs a rest

Heung-Min Son has been one of Spurs’ key players this season, but all of the minutes he has played this season seem to have caught up with him. Son was visibly tired in the last ten minutes of the derby against West Ham, seen on his haunches, looking like he was all out of energy.

His recent form has been the polar opposite of his amazing start to the season with only two goal contributions in the past eight league games. When you dive into the stats of how many minutes the South Korean has played it’s hardly a surprise he looks tired.

Son has played at least 84 minutes in every single Spurs league game since the 6-1 win over Manchester United all the way back in November, as well as being played in every single game this season bar two. Son desperately needs a break and the game against Wolfsberger in the Europa League in midweek gives Mourinho the chance to do just that.

With Spurs 4-1 up in the tie it is the perfect opportunity to play a youngster like Dane Scarlett in his place. If Son isn’t rested midweek there’s no way he’s going to be able to perform anywhere near his best due to the fatigue he’s clearly been suffering with in recent weeks.

Centre back woes

Whether it be Alderweireld alongside Rodon, Dier paired with Tanganga, or even Tanganga with Rodon, it’s extremely clear to everyone – apart from Mourinho it seems – that Dier and Sanchez just aren’t working together.

What makes it even more strange is the fact Spurs had a solid centre-half pairing in Alderweireld and Dier up until the Crystal Palace game and have been chopping and changing at the back ever since.

Spurs desperately need consistency at the back and failing to start the same back four since December certainly hasn’t helped Spurs’ defensive woes, Prior to the Palace game, Mourinho’s men had the best defence in the league, only conceding two goals with Dier and Alderweireld at the back. but ever since that game there has been no consistency with Mourinho not looking like he knows his preferred back four at all.

Dier and Sanchez just don’t work alongside each other at all, with the pair conceding five goals in their last two matches. There needs to be a breath of fresh air in the defence, whoever it may be, and then Jose needs to back the pairing that he picks.

The Mysterious Case of Joe Rodon

There was hope when Rodon came in the summer that he would be able to help with our defensive problems. Initially he did so and after a mistake against Liverpool Mourinho gave the Welshman his full backing. But after the 1-0 defeat against Brighton Rodon hasn’t played a single minute of football and has been left out the last two league squads altogether.

Rodon has completely vanished for the Spurs team/squad in recent weeks with no clear explanation as to why. His brother Sam confirmed on Twitter today that Rodon wasn’t injured, so why on earth has Mourinho excluded him from his plans entirely, especially with the defensive problems Spurs are facing currently?

He wasn’t out of place in a poor team performance at all against Brighton so it is mind-blowing why he has suddenly been excluded from the team. Joe Rodon could be that breath of air that Spurs need to restart their campaign and push on now, with Burnley an ideal game for Rodon to come back in.

Bale’s Brilliance

One of the few positives from the disappointing performance was the second half display from Gareth Bale. The Welshman has severely struggled for form since his return to Spurs, however, glimpses of the old Bale have certainly been brought to light in the last week with a good performance against Wolfsberger too.

Bale hit the bar with a powerful volley which definitely had Fabianski beaten as well as chipping in with an assist for Lucas Moura’s goal with a beautifully delivered corner. You just got that feeling that when Bale was on the ball that he was going to do something special, something Spurs have been missing from any player in a while now.

There is no reason why he shouldn’t start against Burnley in the league next Sunday and, if he manages to build up his fitness, the 31-year-old could be a key player for Spurs towards the end of the season, especially if he manages to sustain any run of form. He could be the third attacker that Spurs are most certainly missing alongside Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.

Jose Mourinho’s similar record to a sacked Mauricio Pochettino

Jose Mourinho came out after the game and insisted that his and his coaching staff methods “are second to none” and that he will not question his methods at all regardless of league position. Which may give Daniel Levy that bit of disbelief he didn’t previously have about Mourinho.

It has been widely reported that Mourinho will cost Spurs around £30 million to sack, but with the recent form and his latest comments Levy may well be considering it.

With 12 points out of a possible 39 in his last three games, Mourinho is replicating the type of form which saw Pochettino removed from his position as Spurs manager, the Argentine having gained 14 points out of a possible 36 in his last 12 games. With Spurs now nine points off the Champions League and gradually slipping down the table in recent weeks will Levy be bold enough to pull the trigger?

Mourinho has managed so far to get us into the Carabao Cup final as well as the Europa League Round of 32, but it seems as though his focus is now purely on the cup competitions after the defeat at the London Stadium – will Levy be willing to take that risk and pin all Spurs’ European qualifying hopes on just the cups?

Out of the Box Transfers That Could Improve Spurs Next Season

The key to any effective transfer policy for any club is to identify problem areas and have creative and pragmatic solutions to said problems. When it comes to Tottenham, this philosophy is not only imperative, but rather mandatory. 

So instead of this article being the usual ‘click bait’ about how ‘Spurs can sign Messi’, it will instead focus on transfers that would not only improve the team, but could solve the issues around non-Home Grown player limits.

Before we begin talking about potential incoming players, a mini review of the season so far. Despite an explosive start, Spurs have been on the end of some disastrous results as of late, with the partnership of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane losing its early venom as Jose Mourinho edges further and further into a style mired in defensive pragmatism.

In saying that, all of the blame cannot be shouldered solely by Mourinho, with individual errors plaguing the Spurs back line this season. This has led to the Lilywhites dropping ten points from winning positions already, double that of any other club in the Premier League. This is an issue that coaching alone cannot resolve.

It is a problem that Mourinho and the club’s hierarchy is well aware of and they looked to ameliorate this last summer with various attempts to pry Milan Škriniar away from Inter, but the asking price was simply too high.

However, with Davinson Sanchez still unable to find any consistency after three years in North London and with Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon still in the infancy of Tottenham careers, the club may well look to revive a deal for Škriniar in the summer as Mourinho looks to find another missing piece to his Tottenham puzzle. But Škriniar’s the asking price unlikely to have come down, Daniel Levy may have to look for a cheaper option.

My pick would be Marseille ‘s Croatian central defender Duje Ćaleta-Car. At just twenty-four years old he is still yet to hit his peak, but is still experienced enough to start week in, week out. Standing at 6ft 3 inch he certainly fits the mould of a physically imposing defender which Mourinho tends to favour. But he is not just a big brute who will smash it into Row Z at a moment’s opportunity – he is a very accomplished passer of the ball. This season the Croatian has also managed to win a staggering 70% of his aerial duels, a talent that could certainly come in handy for set pieces.

When it comes to the financial outlay, French football has deep financial issues and, even though Marseille is not as detrimentally affected as other teams, Spurs will not need to make silly offer to prise him away. Unfortunately, Tottenham will have to probably shift a non-Home Grown player to get this deal over the line, a task that is a lot easier said than done. The possible outgoings to facilitate this transfer would be a combination of Villarreal taking up the option to sign Juan Foyth and the sale of Davinson Sanchez, neither of which are certainties.

The next problem area is in attacking midfield. Tanguy Ndombele’s emergence as one of the best midfielders in the league is one of a few positive for Spurs fans. The Frenchman has been key member of the Tottenham attacking unit, looking rejuvenated this season and producing moments of pure brilliance, most notably against Sheffield United when he scored an audacious chip with his back to goal to secure three points. And let us not forget the game against Southampton when he pirouetted beautifully to beat the press of two oncoming midfielders and found a defence splitting pass to Son Heung-min who promptly slotted away.

However, despite Ndombele’s electric displays, he and Harry Kane have had to shoulder far too much of the creative burden. Giovani Lo Celso’s stop-start season and the mysterious treatment of Dele Alli hasn’t helped, but this it is still a key problem Spurs need to address in the summer window.

Marcus Edwards could be the answer. Edwards was a highly touted talent during the Mauricio Pochettino era, with the former Spurs coach even once likened him to Lionel Messi. Since leaving for Portuguese side Vitoria S.C in 2019, the twenty-two-year-old has gained a reputation as a dynamic ball carrier with the ability to play on either wing or behind the striker.

He has bags of technical ability and is not too bad with a defence splitting through ball either. Last season, Edwards managed seven league goals and five assists with an additional two goals in the Europa League. Tottenham would have to pay a relatively small fee to resign a player with great potential, as well as much needed creative invention in addition to help solving the growing foreign player issue. The outgoings to facilitate this transfer would likely be either Erik Lamela or Lucas Moura, both of whom are struggling for regular playing time.

The last transfer suggestion has been rumoured for some time. The position is central midfielder, and the player is Marcel Sabitzer. The twenty-six-year-old is a versatile and important cog in Julian Nagelsmann’s RB Leipzig machine, playing numerous roles including right wing, false nine and defensive midfield. Sabitzer’s technical ability, defensive awareness, passing range and athleticism make him the perfect partner for Tottenham’s midfield general Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, with both capable of line breaking passing.  Additionally, he already plays under a coach dubbed “Mini Mourinho”, so it may be a quick transition period for Sabitzer if he makes the move to North London. His adaptability in playing in multiple positions and in a variety of systems is surely something that would interest Mourinho.

I believe Tottenham have a fantastic squad, but we lack balance. We must remember we are in a transitional period under Mourinho, but, with a few of the right signings, there is no telling what the club could achieve.

Four Ways Spurs Could Line Up After January’s Transfer Window

With the January transfer window now just over halfway through, James Hicks looks at the different ways that Spurs could line up by the start of February, including a few familiar faces as well as new signings.

  1. Keeping The Faith

Although results haven’t been going the way that fans would’ve liked them to recently, this team is 4th for most goals scored in the Premier League, 3rd for least conceded, and the 2nd least conceded from open play behind Manchester City.

Against Sheffield United on Sunday, Steven Bergwijn showed signs of promise to be able to become the third attacker that Tottenham so desperately need to perform alongside Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son and help the team with goal contributions.

Tanguy Ndombele scored a outrageous chip over Aaron Ramsdale at Bramall Lane and is looking fitter than ever, completing 90 minutes of football against the Blades and slowly showing signs of progression with his fitness which I’m sure every Spurs fan is loving to see his improvement and adaption recently.

The defence is always a major talking point of the Spurs line-up no matter who’s playing and I would argue that this is our most experienced back four, Sergio Reguilon and Serge Aurier give us the width and pace we need in the full-back positions. Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier have been Jose’s trusted partnership this year and their record from open play speaks for itself, conceding the joint least goals from open play, but as everyone knows, set pieces are a huge problem, an issue perhaps which could be solved with the next line up.

2. The Midfield Trio

This was the line-up Spurs fans were most looking forward to after the close of the summer transfer window with a little twist.

In this scenario, Marcel Sabitzer would join the front three in replacement of Steven Bergwijn, with the Austrian – who has a year and a half left on his contract at RB Leipzig – finally making the move having been linked with Spurs on and off for some time.

He would be a great addition to the squad and would provide a player who is extremely versatile where he can play whether it be just off the strikers in the 10 role, out wide either side of a front three or even central midfield. Sabitzer is flexible and can help with goal contributions from anywhere on the field with the 26-year-old producing 17 goal contributions in 32 games in the Bundesliga last season.

It is more likely, however, that Spurs and Levy will attempt to sign Sabitzer in the summer due to his contract situation, replicating what happened with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg negotiations due to his lack of contract, where Spurs ended up with what is looking like a bargain in the Dane.

Another attraction of this team is the midfield three everyone couldn’t wait to watch play together this season in Giovani Lo Celso, Ndombele and Hojbjerg. The trio have only started together once all season, against LASK in the Europa League where it never really gelled, however with Ndombele fitness now ever increasing hopefully when Lo Celso returns from injury we’ll be able to see these three together in action, a spectacle many Spurs were extremely looking forward to.

In defence I’ve partnered Joe Rodon next to Dier after his impressive performance in his second league start against Sheffield United, in his brief cameos in a back four this season he has been really impressive and arguably deserves a chance at a long run in the team, with Jose Mourinho evidently undecided on who he is going to partner alongside Dier in a back four.

3. Five at the Back

Mourinho first debuted Spurs playing three/five at the back against Wolves, where again Spurs conceded from a set piece, however against Sheffield United it look much more assured and controlled posing the question whether it’s worth playing that formation?

Keeping the same front three – which I would say is the best – and a midfield pivot of Ndombele and Hojbjerg, would help to provide the foundations which this team is built on.

Both Reguilon and Doherty were bought over the summer from Sevilla and Wolves respectively, however we have hardly seen either of them play in a position that they thrive in so much as a wing-back. They both offer great pace and crossing ability for one of the forward three to get their head on, especially Reguilon as seen against Fulham.

Last season Doherty had 12 goal contributions in 50 games for Wolves, while Reguilon had eight contributions in 38 games, at the moment Spurs’ highest goal contributor apart from Son and Kane is Ndombele on four, this is something that Jose needs to find the answer to and quick.

By playing this formation it would give Doherty and Reguilon much more license to get forward without having to worry as much about their defensive duties, instead helping Spurs when they go forward, this could help produce many more goal scoring opportunities with crosses and runs from both wing backs.

With the three centre-backs, it would be fair to say Rodon has more than earnt his chance in defence, here he would be alongside Dier and Japhet Tanganga, Tanganga has severely struggled for game time this season due to a back injury he suffered earlier in the season. However with him now slowly progressing back into the set-up and his superb performances last year he also warrants a chance at centre-back especially with all of Jose’s chopping and changing he has been doing recently at centre-half.

4. The Return of DESK

Is the return of DESK a possibility for Mourinho and Tottenham? Christian Eriksen has been heavily linked back with a move back to White Hart Lane after failing to impress at Inter Milan since his transfer last January.

Dele Alli has suffered a similar dip in form since last season, but is still putting up decent numbers when being put in the team with four goal contributions in twelve matches. What Dele needs is a sustained period in the first XI where he tries to rediscover his form with the full support of his manager and he’ll get back to his best.

Dele, Eriksen, Son and Kane, if both Dele and Eriksen were able to rediscover their form this front four would be formidable and could possibly resolve Tottenham’s reliance on solely Son and Kane to provide goals.

Alderweireld partners Dier in defence in this team, both of whom are accustomed to each other by now having played together for nearly 6 years, many of which have been spent alongside one another at the heart of Spurs’ defence.

Would the return of Dele and Eriksen help to improve Spurs’ creativity moving forward?