Tottenham continue their Premier League campaign with a Saturday afternoon kick-off against Mark Hughes' Stoke City. Spurs currently sit seventh in the Premier League table with a single win and two draws.
It has been a slightly alarming start for the London side as they have struggled to really get going, scoring just three times in three games. The likes of
Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen's struggles have made Spurs' attack slightly blunter at the start of this season, but there are reasons why Spurs will beat Stoke this weekend.
The Moussa Sissoko factor It is a very well known fact that Sissoko did not play well last season for Newcastle. The Magpies were relegated to the Championship and a number of their best, or, most expensive players, hardly seemed to lift a finger to arrest this slide. Sissoko was one of the guilty parties.
However, for France at the Euros he was a completely different player. Driving runs, crisp passing and a superb work ethic, Sissoko was one of the main reasons why France made it to the final of the competition. His performances left Newcastle fans watching with wide eyes and mouths even wider, unable to comprehend how a player that did not ever play well last season, was able to run the show.
Portugal's Adrien Silva in action with France's Moussa Sissoko Tottenham fans will be hoping then that the Sissoko their team splashed £30 million on is the France Sissoko and not the Newcastle one, however, there is absolutely no way of telling until he plays for the London side.
Tottenham fans can take heart as Sissoko played well for a team that was playing well and in a good position. When he played for Newcastle, a team struggling in the relegation mire, he was awful. Perhaps then, Sissoko is just the product of those around him. If the Tottenham camp is a positive one and the team are fighting at the top of the table, then it will most likely improve Sissoko, while he has continually reminded everyone of his desire to play in the Champions League.
If Tottenham do get the right Sissoko, then they will have a player that is willing to drive at his opponents, he will open up space for teammates, add a lot of pace and score goals. It is this pace in particular that Tottenham need with the likes of Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen not adding a searing pace on the wing. With all things considered, Sissoko must hit the ground running.
Vincent Janssen's promise The Dutch striker has looked promising so far for Tottenham as he has found himself in a number of good positions to hurt the opposition. While he is yet to score, there are definitely signs that his drought will come to an end soon.
Janssen, brought in from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, was prolific for his former team as he scored 27 goals in 34 appearances. This was enough to earn a transfer to Tottenham this summer as the London side looked to bolster their attacking options and provide competition for Kane.
Tottenham's Vincent Janssen Janssen is a very well rounded forward. Being shorter and strong he has a low centre of gravity making him very tough to push off the ball, allowing his hold-up play to be very good while he is also a quick player so he can run into the space behind defenders. While he has not shown it yet for Tottenham, he is a clinical finisher too. His scoring record for AZ shows that and it should have Spurs fans excited that once he scores his first goal, the pressure will be lifted from him and then he can just go about his business.
He also provides Kane with the ability to drift in the team. For England against Slovakia, Kane looked incredibly isolated as the lone striker and he could not get into the game. This has been the trend for his games with Tottenham too as teams have looked to suffocate his supply by pressing him high and surrounding him with players.
Janssen's presence on the pitch means the Dutch striker is able to play as the furthest man forward, with his pace and power meaning he is slightly better suited for dropping short to pick up the ball or holding a man off, allowing Kane to drift. This means the English forward can have an impact on play in a deeper role and, if the opposition are still intent on trying to double up on Kane in midfield, it allows the Englishman to move the ball on, thus taking two defenders out of the game.
Tottenham's Harry Kane Janssen will start scoring soon, and when he does, his goals coupled with Kane could fire Tottenham to another top four finish. Until that happens though, Janssen must continue to try to take the pressure off Kane with the former AZ star incredibly well suited to dealing with the Physical tirade that has been sent Kane's way thus far.
Pochettino's pragmatism Mauricio Pochettino's tenure at Tottenham has achieved two main things. The first is that it has put Tottenham back among the best teams in the Premier League, also meaning they are now back in Europe's premier competition. The second is that it has shown how good a coach Pochettino is.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino The Argentine has been implementing his style on Spurs for the last few years and his calm and collected style seems to be rubbing off on the players too. Obviously a man of great intelligence, the coach always seems to have a backup plan for his backup plan. Indeed, against Liverpool in their last game, Kyle Walker was forced off and instead of bringing a defender on in a like for like swap, he chose to drop Dier into the defence and move Alli into centre-midfield, all allowing Vincent Janssen to come on up-front. This meant that Tottenham changed a lot of the positions of their players and added an extra forward. It was this pragmatism that culminated in Tottenham taking a hard earned point from a game which they were second best for large parts of.
Pochettino will be tested again this week with his attacking midfield not firing as yet. Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Erik Lamela are all very talented players and the trio are superb on their day. However, Eriksen and Alli in particular have struggled so far with games largely passing them by.
However, the two did show signs of improvement with their international sides and they will be hoping that they can take these good performances into the weekend. With Kane also struggling so far, Pochettino really has his work cut out as he cannot afford to lose ground on the leaders so early on. That is why Pochettino's pragmatic approach will be so crucial for Tottenham on the weekend, and for the rest of the season.
