Team Focus: Where Do Spurs Need To Improve This Summer?

When Gareth Bale netted his 21st league goal of the 2012/13 season in the final day 1-0 win over Sunderland back in May, it gave Tottenham Hotspur a slither of hope that a Champions League place could be secured. Alas, Laurent Koscielny’s goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United saw the Gunners pip their north London rivals to fourth spot and it ensured Spurs would be continentally plying their trade in the Europa League next season.

A record points total (72) may’ve been attained, but senseless errors that led to goals - eight to be exact - ultimately cost Andre Villas-Boas’ side a place amongst Europe’s elite. A failure to land Champions League football has seen prized asset Bale linked with a big money move to Real Madrid over the summer, with recently appointed head coach Carlo Ancelotti supposedly a fan of the mercurial Welshman, and it’s no wonder - the winger scored the most goals from outside the box (9) in Europe’s top five leagues last season.

Regardless, Villas-Boas and chairman Daniel Levy have insisted that Bale won’t be sold over the summer and the first port of call will be warding off the interest from Los Blancos. The 23-year old directly contributed to 37.9% of Spurs’ goals last season, further stressing his value to the North London side, and it comes as no surprise to have seen him attain an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.89; no Premier League player secured a higher score.

Should the wideman be convinced to remain at White Hart Lane, it would not only see Spurs move further from the previous ‘selling club’ mantra, but the lure of playing with Bale would surely bolster the chances of securing the best performers across the world, another weapon that recently appointed Director of Football Franco Baldini could call upon in his arsenal. The primary targets at present remain David Villa and Paulinho, of Barcelona and Corinthians, with Baldini supposedly negotiating deals for the pairing at the time of writing.

The two players would only bolster a strong squad in need of necessary fortification in set positions. Paulinho, for example, would add to an already strong centre midfield, consisting of Mousa Dembélé and Sandro, but it’s herein that the squad lacks the necessary depth that ultimately saw them falter across the season. While Scott Parker enjoyed an impressive 2011/12 campaign - attaining an average rating of 7.03 - that figure dropped to 6.78 last year, highlighting his fall in performance between the two domestic seasons.

With the supposed move for the Brazil midfielder - currently away on international duty at the Confederations Cup - it hints that Villas-Boas would likely switch to a 4-3-3 from the 4-2-3-1 that the Portuguese tactician called upon for 25 of the 38 Premier Leagues games last season, especially when you consider that all four of his appearances this year - one for Corinthians in the Brasileirão and three for Brazil this summer - have all been as a defensive midfielder.

Compatriot Sandro, in comparison, made 17 of his 26 starts in all competitions in the same position with Spurs, while Dembélé made 21 of his 34 starts as a defensive midfielder. With reports suggesting that the club are prepared to part with £17m for Paulinho, it’s unlikely the 24-year-old will be bought in as just a squad player.

His pass accuracy of 83.3% in the Confederations Cup to date may sit lower than that of Dembélé (90.9%) and Sandro (85.7%), but his tackles per game figure (3.25) sits nicely between the pairing (2.7 and 3.3, respectively). Furthermore, in completing 1 dribble per game, his role as a box-to-box midfielder becomes more clear, with neither Dembélé or Sandro boasting the same specific capabilities as the Brazil international.

This has been further evidenced through his two goals in the Confederations Cup, including his header in the 2-1 win over Uruguay on Wednesday night, while he also netted in a recent friendly against England. His ability in the air, in particular, is a facet that Spurs would aim to capitalise upon considering they played 75 accurate corners into the box last season; only Aston Villa (81) and Manchester City (76) played more.

Higher up the pitch it’s crucial that Spurs also move for a striker this summer. Both Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe netted a combined 16 of Spurs’ 66 Premier League goals last season, a paltry return of just 24.2%. While David Villa (10) may’ve netted one fewer than Defoe in his respective league, the fact is the Spaniard started 10 fewer games than his English counterpart, reinforcing his striking credentials.

Moreover, Villa also boasts an impressive rate of netting every 141.6 minutes over the 2012/13 campaign, significantly better than that of Defoe (219.3) and Adebayor (319.4), while even Bale’s return of netting every 139.2 minutes isn’t a marked improvement on the Barcelona striker. You only have to consider Villa’s shot accuracy of 55.5% and the fact that he netted every 2.5 shots on target is far superior to that of both Defoe (38% shot accuracy and a goal every 3.7 shots on target) and Adebayor (45.2% shot accuracy and a goal every 3.8 shots on target) to note that his arrival would only improve the club.

The versatility of Villa would also favour Villas-Boas, with the Barcelona striker making 15 starts in both La Liga and the Champions League as a left sided forward, a facet of his game that would allow Bale - should he stay - to occupy a more central position on the pitch. It would leave Spurs fans safe in the knowledge that a player of Villa’s quality would be able to pull to the left to offer a different threat in the frontline. 

With Neymar’s arrival at the Camp Nou, his exit is all but set to be pushed through prior to the beginning of the season and should Spurs snare both Villa and Paulinho, while resisting the temptation of selling Bale to Real Madrid, it will send out a strong statement of intent by the club, while adding the much needed strength in depth that cost the club a top four berth last season.