Clouds Over a Parade

Despite winning a European trophy, Tottenham enters a potentially turbulent summer, with a manager whose future remains in doubt and a project lacking tangible results.

Even the most clairvoyant of analysts struggle to understand what lies ahead for the club.

Being one of the three London clubs to win a trophy, Tottenham claimed a European title, alongside rivals Chelsea. Although they finished 17th, Tottenham will be playing in the Champions League next season. 

From almost the start of the season, so much went wrong for Spurs. Injuries to key players drained them of talent, while others regressed. Couple that with Postecoglou’s system struggling to stay fresh, and you get a season from hell. 

Especially after Harry Kane’s departure, nothing feels concrete at the club right now, outside of Son. Not even winning this trophy seems to have fully saved the Australian manager, mirroring van Gaal’s United departure. Perhaps the most confusing aspect is that the team remains well-positioned for next year, despite the weird vibes.

If this had been any other season, Tottenham would have faced a true relegation battle.

Instead, they won the Europa League and get to play in the Champions League next season.

Outside of Manchester United, who surely pissed off some deity, Tottenham had the strangest season in the Prem. Never really finding consistency in the Premier League, while being decent in Europe, and only in Europe.

PHOTO: Fabrizio Romano/Facebook

When he arrived in England, Postecoglou appeared to be a breath of fresh air with a fun and high-paced system. Towards the tail end of last season, however, his system seemed to be teetering as teams exploited that high press. Unwilling to change his system, it resulted in him essentially forcing his system to work rather than it being a natural process.

Tottenham’s goal differential, combined with their results, further highlighted this. Despite having a goal differential that would have placed them mid-table, they finished with twice as many losses as wins.

Goal differential remains a relatively weak statistic, but it hints at their real issue: any inability to find consistency. The last month of the season became hell with a row of losses, but before that, they were mostly inconsistent. Oscillating between a team that could beat Liverpool and lose to Wolves, however, they only remained decent amongst bottom-half teams.

Perhaps best represented in Fraser Forster playing real minutes in the Prem, only Brighton struggled with injuries like Spurs. A total of 41 different injuries to key players meant that the only reinforcements brought in came to relieve injured players. At times, the backline resembled a mixture of trivia players and academy graduates.

However, all this just highlights the theme of Tottenham’s season: instability. From the injuries to the stubbornness from Postecoglou, everything conspired against the team. It was a season from hell that resulted in them winning the Europa League.

Coming into the season on a positive note, they hoped that this would be a successful second year for Postoglu.

Even though they won the Europa League, it’s still hard to say what the club truly thinks.

The sword of Damocles hanging over Spurs right now is the fate of Postecoglou. Until the club decides on his future, everything else remains in limbo.

Winning a club their first European trophy would have surely saved any other manager, but that’s how poor the vibes are. You almost got the sense that no matter the result, the Australians’ fate was decided before the final in Bilbao. However, now the club wrestles with the image of firing Postecoglou.

Another wrinkle in all this remains the lack of any truly suitable candidate. With plenty of other managerial spots open across Europe, Spurs may find themselves on the outside looking in. Perhaps they end up like Juventus, stuck another season without the manager they want.

Out of all the possible options, Thiago Motta looks to be the most intriguing. Although a disastrous Juve stint knocked some of the shine off, his time with Bologna remains impressive.

With a transfer window opening for the Club World Cup, Tottenham risks falling behind its European rivals without a proper strategy. Making any sort of plans without knowing who’s at the helm for next season is a disaster. Should Postecoglou remain, then the club needs to afford him the resources for his vision.

Furthermore, with the litany of injuries and regressions, there needs to be some evaluation of this team. Especially with rumors of a potential Son departure, a new foundation for the team may soon be required. The club has done well to rebuild in the post-Kane years, but the team resembles that of Slot’s Liverpool, but much less impressive.

Tottenham’s immediate future feels very much in flux.

However, once the managerial decision is made, all the other dominoes will fall.

Winning the Europa League gave Tottenham fans the trophy that they had spent decades dreaming of. Despite the good vibes from fans, the drama behind the scenes is slowly reaching its zenith.

The decision to potentially sack the manager who delivered this trophy will have immense ramifications for the club. 

PHOTO: Fabrizio Romano/Facebook