After selling Gareth Bale over the summer to Real Madrid for £85,300,000, Tottenham looked as though they were pulling their same old tricks.
It was something that they had always done; Selling players such as Luka Modric, Dimitir Berbatov, and Kevin Prince-Boateng. However, the Spurs did something extremely uncharacteristic of themselves this summer by splurging on seven players for a total cost of £103,700,000.
While some of these players, such as Paulinho, Christian Eriksen, and Vlad Chiriches have flourished at White Hart Lane, others such as Erik Lamela, Etienne Capoue, and Nacer Chadli have all been linked with exits due to their lack of performance.
However, what many fail to remember about these signings that are not playing well is that they are all extremely young and have a lot of room to grow.
They also still have to work their way up in Tim Sherwood’s pecking order, as they must earn a spot on the squad. These new signings along with Tottenham’s returning players will be crucial in Spurs claiming a Champions League Spot. Since Sherwood has taken over the reigns as manager from Andre Villas-Boas, Spurs have won five of their last seven fixtures in the Premier League, and only lost one to League Leaders Manchester City.
As of late, Emmanuel Adebayor has proved he can be a quality striker for the squad as he has netted six goals and chipped in with two assists. In addition, Sherwood’s new 4-4-2 formation has appeared to rejuvenate the Spurs as they have scored 11 goals in the past six games.
The defense of late has also been remarkable as the talented duo of Vlad Chriches and Michael Dawson have been extremely serviceable during Jan Vertonghen’s absence. Also, Kyle Walker is up to his usual good at right back for Spurs as their defense has only allowed eight goals since Sherwood took over, and four of those came against City while playing with ten men.
For Spurs to advance to the Champions League they must win or draw many crucial upcoming games. Games against Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Southampton, and Newcastle will be crucial come the end of the season as picking up three points in five of six of those matches will be imperative to the Spurs success.
To make the Champions League, the Spurs will have to reach 75 points and to do that they must win 10 of their last 15 games and draw at least two of their other fixtures.
While it may be a tough task, Sherwood has shown he is the man for the job, and therefore, this writer believes that Hotspur will qualify for the Champions League come the end of the season.