When Tottenham Hotspur spent over £300m in the summer, they did so with the hope that they would not find themselves at the bottom of the Premier League table ever again.
Yet, with the first international break upon us, they are 20th, rock bottom of the division. This was certainly not in the script and the pressure is on Roberto De Zerbi already.
However, perhaps this break might be a good thing. It allows the playing staff some time away from the pressures of the Premier League.
It will also allow the manager some extra time to think of ways to put things right. It will also give them an opportunity to get some injured players back, chiefly Pedro Porro and potentially even Dejan Kulusevski.
How Spurs players are faring on international duty
A busy international break has already seen a whole host of Tottenham players in action for their respective nations.
Rodrigo Bentancur kicked things off with a friendly against Japan a few days ago, where he captained his country in a 3-1 defeat.
There was better fortune for defenders Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke as the Dutch drew 1-1 with Germany in Nations League action.
Van Hecke didn’t enjoy his best night, being booked in the 24th minute, which limited how aggressive he could be. Van de Ven, however, was impressive from left-back, winning six of his nine duels throughout an accomplished defensive display.
Over in Portugal, Ben Davies captained Wales against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co but could not prevent his team from losing 1-0 courtesy of a strike from Joao Felix.
Elsewhere, Mateus Fernandes also captained his country, Portugal, albeit at U21 level. Mathys Tel was also playing at youth level, providing an assist during France U21s’ 1-1 draw with Iceland. Archie Gray was another who played for his country’s U21 side.
As for Sandro Tonali, he was in action for Italy, who famously failed to qualify for the last World Cup. His poor run of form continued in a 2-0 defeat to Belgium. That said, he was not the only member of the Spurs team reeling from a poor performance.
In an ideal world, this international break will allow several members of this Spurs team to generate some much-needed confidence.
Despite the sheer amount of change to the playing staff, they still looked scarred by the events of last season.
For some reason, that is holding Tonali back. The £100m man has not enjoyed a very bright start to life at Spurs, perhaps hampered by such an enormous price tag.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is Andy Robertson. He is no spring chicken anymore and arrived in a rather more understated manner.
Truthfully, that’s Robertson’s way. Indeed, after his contract with Liverpool expired, he signed for Spurs on a free transfer. It’s what he always wanted.
Speaking on the Overlap podcast recently, the Scot said: “It was always Tottenham, as long as they stayed up! At that point, I didn’t quite want to go to the Championship. So that was the thing, I ended up then getting invested in Tottenham, I was watching them, especially when De Zerbi came in, I was fully confident. But yeah, as long as they stayed up, it was always going to be Tottenham.”
Well, rather like the rest of his teammates, his form hasn’t been perfect since arriving. While he has played 90 minutes in the last two Premier League games, he didn’t even start the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest.
At the age of 32, the full-back is now approaching the end of his career and perhaps retiring from international duty could prolong his club career.
After his latest performance for Scotland, it’s surely something he is considering. Robertson finally got the opportunity to compete at a World Cup over the summer, a tournament where he reached 97 caps.
However, the feeling among Scots is that he should have followed Steve Clarke in leaving the national team at the conclusion of that event in north America.
Robertson is now at 98 caps and it is thought that once he surpasses the Scottish record of 102, he might call it quits. Truthfully, that would be for the best.
Against Slovenia in 0-0 draw on Saturday afternoon, he struggled on the left flank. He was targeted early on by the hosts and they got plenty of joy from it.
|
Robertson vs Slovenia |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
84 |
|
Accurate passes |
45/55 (84%) |
|
Key passes |
3 |
|
Accurate crosses |
3/13 |
|
Successful dribbles |
2 |
|
Defensive contributions |
3 |
|
Ground duels won |
4/7 |
|
Aerial duels won |
3/3 |
|
Possession lost |
21x |
|
Fouls |
2 |
The Spurs defender made two fouls but was pretty competent in the duel, winning all three of his aerial battles and four of his seven duels on the ground.
That said, given his age, there are limitations to his game now, particularly when he plays as a wing-back as he did at the weekend.
The Scottish star gave away the ball on as many as 21 occasions. Only three of his 13 crosses actually found a teammate.
Supporters of the national team point to the fact that other options such as Josh Doig and James Penrice should be given a go instead.
For now, ‘Robbo’ will likely make it beyond the 100 cap mark but do not be surprised that, in a bid to improve and prolong his performances at club level, he decides to call it a day on the international stage at some point within the next year.
