For far too long, the Tottenham Hotspur XI almost picked itself.
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son in attack, supported by Lucas Moura. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield, Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris at the back. Six players who, regardless of form, appeared to be written on the Tottenham team-sheet in indelible ink.
The problem this causes, however, is not an issue simply of depth. We’re sure you remember Harry Winks’ cutting comments about Nuno Espirito Santo’s ‘two-tier squad’. The Premier League posterboys, and then the Conference League dunces shunted to the corner. Out of sight, out of mind, and out of the team.
Another problem that arises when so many of your players are all-but guaranteed to start, week-in, week-out, is that things tend to go stale quicker than all that banana bread you got sick of two weeks into lockdown.
Competition behind the scenes keeps things fresh. It forces those in possession of a starting spot to protect it with their lives. It’s what makes Manchester City and Liverpool such an irrepressible footballing force. Mo Salah, Kevin de Bruyne, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez know that, if they drop off just that little bit, Luis Diaz, Ilkay Gundogan, Diogo Jota and Jack Grealish will be ready and waiting to pounce.
Conte needs competition
Thanks to the good work of Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici, Tottenham are in a much better place now – competition-wise – then they were 12 months ago. Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur have been inspired signings, as has Cristian Romero. Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Davinson Sanchez – four players who barely missed a game during the final few months of Jose Mourinho’s reign – have been relegated from first-team regulars to benchwarming back-ups.
Sergio Reguilon’s difficult second season in English football is also being undercut by Ryan Sessegnon and Matt Doherty’s emergence. Conte, meanwhile, has made no secret of his desire to bring in a top-class centre-forward, one that could have even a player as influential as Kane glancing nervously over his shoulder.
Links with Marco Asensio, meanwhile, prove that not even Kulusevski – ‘sensational’ since his January arrival from Juventus with three goals and six league assists – cannot afford to let his standards slip.
Asensio, a two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, is being to offered to Spurs for a bargain £30 million (Mirror). The silky Spain international – labelled an ‘extraordinary’ talent by Carlo Ancelotti –will hire Jorge Mendes as his new agent, a man with an excellent relationship with the Spurs hierarchy.
The Portuguese super-agent is responsible for bringing Doherty, Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo to Spurs. Though few will thank him for that last one.
Kulusevski out, Asensio in?
According to Calciomercato, Mendes is already planning to take Asensio to North London.
Asensio, scorer of 11 goals this season, is arguably at his most effective when cutting inside from the right. Just like Kulusevski. Zinedine Zidane even claimed that he hadn’t seen a left foot as devastating as Asensio’s since Lionel Messi burst onto the scene.
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Now, this is not to say Kulusevski should be fretting about his place at Tottenham. But if Asensio arrives, the Swede will find himself in a similar position to that of Lucas, Hojbjerg and Dier. And that’s no bad thing.
Competition for places hasn’t done Liverpool or Man City much harm after all.
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