Tottenham’s Wembley struggle highlights Pochettino’s need for a game-changer this summer

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were drawn in an unfavourable Group H alongside Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

In the midst of Tottenham Hotspur’s first home game of the season it was easy to focus on the intangibles. Not only were the club facing rivals Chelsea in a derby match, (meaning any semblance of form goes out the window) the club was also preparing for their first outing at their new home, Wembley.

Although Chelsea arrived as defending Premier League champions, they were by no means the favourites. An embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home to Burnley during the opening weekend of the season had also cost Antonio Conte two players — Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas — to suspension. There was a certain expectation that Spurs would win, an expectation that was shattered when Marcos Alonso curled in a fantastic free-kick in the first half.

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In response Spurs created chances and Harry Kane even hit the woodwork. They eventually got back into the game via an own goal from Michy Batshuayi before Alonso scored his and Chelsea’s second to win the match.

“We have to accept they were more clinical than us in front of goal,” Pochettino said. “The opportunities we created we didn’t score, but that’s football. It’s only the beginning of the season, a lot of games to play. If we play that way, we’ll win a lot of games in the future.”

From a Tottenham perspective it was easy to point fingers and isolate the individuals at fault. Victor Wanyama and Hugo Lloris were arguably to blame for Chelsea’s winner, while Moussa Sissoko was once again uninspiring in a Tottenham shirt.

However, the greater issue for Spurs rests in who was not there rather than who was. The absence of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose will always be felt by Tottenham, but the club lacks a game-changer — someone with pace and tricks to unsettle opposition defenders. As Jermaine Jenas pointed out during Match of the Day, a lack of running in behind from Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier stifled Tottenham’s play. It limited their potential routes of attack and is exactly why a dynamic winger would add some versatility and flexibility to their approach.

Pochettino has previously addressed the issue. “We need a player who is more direct, more aggressive offensively,” he said this time last year. “Because we have players like Eriksen, [Heung-Min] Son or Lamela who like the ball played into their feet. So we need someone who has characteristics like we saw from Liverpool, like Sadio Mané, the type of player that can break the defensive line. I’m not talking about kicking or punching someone, only running and having the right mentality.”

The club subsequently bid £12million for Wilfried Zaha, which was unsurprisingly knocked back. In the panic and frenzy of the transfer window last summer they eventually settled on Sissoko for £30million in a deal that looked risky at the time and ludicrous with hindsight.

Pochettino believed the Frenchman could be that dynamic midfielder, running in behind. He held similar hopes for Clinton N’Jie and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, but all three have failed to live up to expectation.

The notion of simply going out and investing in another new player, while easy in theory, is not entirely practical for the club. Their redevelopment of White Hart Lane makes it difficult to be flush with money, (Davinson Sanchez aside) and that’s before you consider the notable failures they’ve had when spending big recently.

Zaha remains the kind of player Pochettino outlined last summer, but he would likely cost upwards of £35million, and that’s assuming Palace were willing to sanction a deal this late into the window. It was said Tottenham were preparing to bid for him again this summer, but no offer has arrived thus far. Keita Balde of Lazio has been linked and seems the perfect signing, whether they can get the deal done in time remains to be seen.

Pochettino has also expressed reservations about adding to his squad. “It is so difficult when you have a very good team and at a club like Tottenham you have a very clear philosophy and a plan that you want to follow,” he said recently. “It is not easy to find right footballer. I think we are working and we’ll add some players to the end of the transfer window. We need to bring some new energy and strengthen our squad. I think everyone knows that — and first of all our chairman, Daniel [Levy], knows that.”

The club has signed goalkeeper Paolo Gazzaniga from Southampton, and a deal for defender Juan Foyth is said to be nearing completion, but neither is the winger Spurs crave. Sissoko has shown little evidence to suggest he will suddenly develop into a dynamic attacker, and so Pochettino is left facing an uncertain end to the transfer window with less than a week to go.

There has been talk of signing Ross Barkley, but that deal feels eerily similar to that of Sissoko 12 months ago. Instead, Pochettino must source someone with speed and power that can provide Spurs attack with something unpredictable, dynamic, and perhaps even intangible.