The turn of the year always offers the chance for renewed vitality and hope. Even in the case of football seasons that run from September to May, January is often used as a marker not only to assess the current season but checking the status of longer-term progress.
That is very much the case for Tottenham Hotspur. Optimism surrounding the Europa League and Carabao Cup has been contrasted with middling league form, which has left them in 11th after nineteen games.
These topsy-turvy performances have led to further interrogation of the club's direction. With that in mind, here are some ‘resolutions’ that Spurs could make to ensure that 2025 and the years beyond are more fruitful than recent months.
Committing to Ange Postecoglou
In June 2023, Ange Postecoglou ended his glittering stint at Celtic to take the reins at a Tottenham side without European football and any semblance of identity on and off the pitch.
A year-and-a-half later, it is fair to say things have not gone entirely smoothly, especially in the rocky opening months of this season where Spurs currently sit 12th in the Premier League and have lost nine of their nineteen outings so far.
Some fans and pundits have pointed to Postecoglou’s steadfast attitude and unwillingness to compromise on his full-throttle approach, and that not being more defensive in crucial moments is costing the Lilywhites.
Others, such as vice-captain Cristian Romero, have pointed to the board room.
"The last few years, it's always the same - first the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it's always the same people responsible," the World Cup winner said after the 4-3 home defeat to Chelsea.
Club chairman Daniel Levy has been keen to emphasise the ownership’s desire to have a team play the ‘Tottenham way’ – a sentiment which largely derives from the push and run side of Arthur Rowe and Bill Nicholson’s double winners that sees Spurs winning with style rather than “waiting for [the opposition] to die of boredom” as Danny Blanchflower put it.
“We made a conscious decision that we wanted a coach who would understand what we really wanted as a Club, which was to play attacking football,” Levy explained after Postecoglou was appointed.
“To enable everyone to enjoy coming to a match and be entertained.”
One certainty is that Postecoglou’s brand of football is not boring. It aligns closer with the club’s motto of 'To Dare Is to Do' than any version of Jose Mourinho’s or Antonio Conte’s sides ever would. However, if form continues to be as up and down as it has been, the tendency to think the grass will be greener under another head coach will always creep in.
At the end of the 2024/25 campaign, Postecoglou will be halfway through his initial four-year contract. The awarding of such a lengthy deal from Levy and Co. seemingly suggested the board’s acceptance that such a project would take a larger slice of time than the apparent quick fix of a Mourinho or Conte, but that backing will have to last.
Not least because of a fairly scant managerial market and the fact that staying true to Postecoglou would allow his high-intensity methods to further soak into the players. And with a slew of young players making up the squad, that kind of repetition may well reap rewards in due course.
Deep runs into the Europa League and FA Cup, as well as edging past Liverpool in the EFL Cup, would do the Australian’s vision a world of good for the fans still unsure of his ideas. Because one thing for certain is that this style of play is going nowhere.
"If people want me to change my approach, it’s not going to change," Postecoglou said after the loss to Arne Slot's men last month.
"We are doing it for a reason, we are doing it because we think it will help us to be successful."
A common reference point for trusting in managers has been across the capital at the Emirates Stadium, where Mikel Arteta has pushed Arsenal to the brink of the league title twice in a row after three seasons of finishing eighth and fifth.
Despite the difference in experience and play style, there are parallels in how the Spaniard spoke about his team before they began to challenge Manchester City.
“I think this project is going to go ‘bang’,” he said in 2021 after exiting the FA Cup in the fourth round and languishing in tenth place in the league during his first full season in charge. “This is where we are but sometimes it is difficult to see the moment now, but I'm sure [of] where we are going.”
The trouble for Postecoglou is the cut-throat reality of the results business, as many a manager in North London has found over the years. Often incredibly harshly, such as Mauricio Pochettino being sacked six months after reaching a UEFA Champions League final and Mourinho a week prior to the League Cup final.
For Levy and ENIC Group, sticking beside Postecoglou would be one way of showing they have changed and are willing to lend him more of a chance of success. It would at least feel like there is a semblance of plan in place, rather than simply seeing what sticks.
Target the Carabao Cup
With every passing year since 2008, a trophy has been firmly on the Tottenham agenda and the Carabao Cup is the soonest opportunity for them to remedy that.
Facing a formidable Liverpool side who have only lost one game so far this season is a tricky proposition, especially in the wake of the Reds' 6-3 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December.
Defeating Slot's side, however, would be a huge mental boost for a Spurs team who have been susceptible even in strong spells of form. Meeting either Arsenal or Newcastle United in the final is also far from straightforward, but is the exact obstacle Tottenham will need to overcome at some point if they are ever to quench their trophy drought.
In the long run, Tottenham finally claiming silverware would be major weight lifted off the shoulders of the team and fanbase at large, and act as a perfect motivator for further titles towards the tail end of the season and in the years to come.
Find a solid number six
There are many areas where Tottenham need reinforcements. Centre-back and full-back have proved problematic through injuries to Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Ben Davies and an overreliance on the likes of Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, who both look off the pace this season.
Upgraded rotational options on the wings and a ball-playing backup goalkeeper may also be on the shopping list, but perhaps Spurs’ most glaring issue comes in the heart of midfield.
Under Postecoglou, the position has often been filled by Rodrigo Bentancur or Yves Bissouma, although they have struggled to nail down the role as their own.
Bentancur can be better utilised further up in midfield while Bissouma has struggled to assert himself as a leader on the pitch, lapsing into lacklustre showings all too often to earn the spot going forth.
Elsewhere in the squad, Archie Gray has been touted as the future holder of this role. It seemed that - given he was a new signing and a very young player - Postecoglou was reluctant to throw him into the position so early into his Tottenham career.
However, the composure and physicality he has shown as a placeholder central defender has been hugely impressive and warrants more of a chance further up.
Another option is to invest, although there are constraints. A high-quality number six is possibly the most coveted position in the world currently. The scarcity of such players combined with Rodri’s Ballon d’Or-worthy form means any defensive midfielder capable of keeping the tempo ticking along nicely will have their price inflated.
Not ideal news for Tottenham, with the ENIC Group historically favouring bargains over big spending. The likes of Exequiel Palacios or Éderson may be choice selections but are likely to cost upwards of £70 million. There is also stiff competition for such players from other clubs who boast more financial power and can offer Champions League football.
Whether internally or externally sourced, it is a position Tottenham will need to rectify if they are to challenge regularly for the silverware they crave.
Decide on how to replace Heung-min Son
There is going to be a time when Tottenham will have to wave goodbye to Heung-min Son. In a near decade’s worth of service, the South Korean has become one of the Lilywhites’ best loved players, taking up the captaincy last year and moving fifth in the club’s all-time top scorers list.
Off the pitch, his near-legendary status in his home nation has also brought in swathes of supporters from overseas and his infectious energy makes him a staple of behind-the-scenes content and branding.
Now, however, that fateful time has come. With his contract up at the end of the season, the decision will have to be made sooner rather than later. It is similar to Mohamed Salah’s situation at Liverpool, though, unlike the Egyptian, Son has not spoken about his deal publicly.
The London Evening Standard reported in September that Tottenham were about to trigger an optional additional year, but since then there have been rumblings of uncertainty due to the radio silence from both parties.
If Son is to call time on his time in Tottenham, the hope from a supporters’ point-of-view is that Spurs will have learnt some lessons from the last time they face another daunting task of replacing a modern great.
Harry Kane left North London for Bayern Munich a day before the beginning of last season, leaving Postecoglou with Richarlison and an out-of-position Son as his number nines.
Tottenham are already similarly bare in the left-wing slot Son occupies, with Mikey Moore the only player with a definite future there given the unlikelihood of Timo Werner making his loan permanent.
As with the number six, a left-winger of Son’s quality would be difficult to pick up for cheap, though there is a greater chance of buying developing talent in this position instead.
Realistically, this should be an area Spurs should be seeking to fill regardless of whether Son stays or not as his powers have already begun to wane. Five goals and six assists from sixteen matches is not the kind of output that made him the star he is.
The 32-year-old’s overall influence on proceedings has also dwindled during this campaign and has not been able to take control of games as he has in yesteryear.
Should the captain commit his future to the club, we would have to see a Son who has to rely more on positioning and movement off-the-ball in order to maximise his expert finishing abilities, rather than the bursts of pace and slick dribbling he has utilised so well down the years.
This would perhaps mean adapting to become a supplementary striker since Postecoglou likes his wingers to stretch the play. Whether Son would be happy fulfilling such a role is questionable as many top clubs across Europe would still jump at the opportunity to sign him.
He has been viewed as near irreplaceable for so long, but Spurs will simply have to contend with the fact that Son is not the long-term solution anymore.
From Son's perspective, it is the same quandary Kane found himself in: stick with Tottenham and pray for a trophy to further cement a place in the club's history, or leave for pastures new in order to compete for the biggest prizes in European football? Only time will tell.
Blooding in more academy stars
The previous two seasons have been thoroughly successful for the Tottenham academy. Collecting trophies at Under-17, Under-18, and Under-21 level has led to huge excitement over the next generation of homegrown players emerging from Hotspur Way.
The likes of Moore and Will Lankshear in particular have been getting regular first team action this season, with Alfie Dorrington, Callum Olusesi, and Malachi Hardy being named on the bench occasionally.
Meanwhile, Jamie Donley, Dane Scarlett, and George Abbott are undergoing lower league loan spells to varying degrees of success.
Talent coming out of their clubs’ academies is something nearly all football fans like to see. There’s an extra feeling of pride and connection to those who have risen through the ranks of the club, which, in turn, can sometimes lead to being scrutinised even more - as Harry Winks or Oliver Skipp could attest to.
And in the age of Financial Fair Play, the potential profit to be made on academy products has become invaluable to wealthier outfits.
Postecoglou’s system requires a lot of energy, repetition, and willingness to learn - all of which are a perfect fit for young players looking to break into the first eleven. Especially in the cases of Dorrington, Moore and Lankshear, whose positions already offer chances to make good of.
Tottenham being able to call upon multiple academy players at once is relatively new, but something that should be taken more advantage of this year.
