The Weekly Take, Issue 56: Will This Team’s Culture Ever Change?

Those of you who read my posts regularly may remember that I recently wrote a post about Bayern Munich. In it, I lauded Bayern for instilling a culture and mentality of success and victory throughout the team.

However, this time I’m going to take the opposite approach. I am about to discuss a team that perpetually comes up short in the big moments. A team that somehow always manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. A team that has more than deserved its reputation for choking and being mentally weak.

This team is Tottenham Hotspur.

During the previous Premier League matchday, Tottenham crashed to a 2-1 loss to league leaders Liverpool. In typical Spurs fashion, the goal that sealed their fate was an own goal scored by Toby Alderweireld.

Tottenham have always been known as a team which has never quite been capable of taking that final step. Since 1984, Tottenham have only won the following titles: the 1991 FA Cup, the 1999 League Cup, and the 2008 League Cup. They have not even won the Premier League once and have not even come close to any success in the Europa League, let alone the Champions League. This is an extremely poor return for a club of Tottenham’s stature.

There are several factors that have caused this general lack of success, but there is one which stands out above all others: as a club, Tottenham seem to expect failure more than they do success. This sense of pessimism that permeates the club clearly affects the players year after year.

The chief example of this is Tottenham’s 2015-16 Premier League campaign.

With the usual powerhouses such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool all mired in slumps or undergoing transitional periods, Tottenham were well-placed to possibly win their first league title in 54 years. For much of the season, they were neck-and-neck with Leicester City, who were themselves targeting a first-ever league title.

Tottenham not only lost the title race, but also slumped so badly during the closing stretch of the season that their North London rivals Arsenal came from behind, overtook them, and finished second behind Leicester.

It is also worth noting that every time a star player leaves Tottenham, the player seems to be free of the mental shackles at the club and takes his game to the next level.

Players such as Dimitar Berbatov, Gareth Bale, and Luka Modrić did just that, with Modrić eventually turning into one of the greatest attacking midfielders of all time. It is unlikely that he would have done so if he had remained at White Hart Lane.

If Harry Kane were to follow such a path and leave Tottenham, no one associated with the club should have any complaints. It is a distinct possibility that the centre-forward’s career progression is being stunted at Spurs.

This culture of failure comes from the top down – the club’s owner and administrative members are guilty as well.

This season, Tottenham have not signed even one player. This clearly shows that those in charge do not expect success any time soon; hence, there is no reason to add to the squad.

As much as he has been lauded by the media, head coach Mauricio Pochettino must also shoulder some of the blame.

The Argentine, while in my opinion is slightly overrated as a coach, has nevertheless shown the ability to make an average team good. However, he clearly lacks the ability to make a good team great. This team has obviously plateaued under Pochettino – over the last four years, the team as a whole has made virtually no progress. If this trend continues, do not be surprised to see Pochettino out of Tottenham before too long.

Tottenham are now in a four-way battle with Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea for the last two Champions League spots for next season. If this season and Tottenham’s history are anything to go by, they might very well miss out on the Champions League for the first time in four years.

This is a team clearly burdened by the failures of the past. Until the general team culture at Tottenham is overhauled, it is likely to remain this way for years to come.