Tottenham Hotspur are not in a good moment, but surely these players are getting rather good at dealing with adversity, having been stuck in the deep end for several years now.
After recording back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, Roberto De Zerbi oversaw a £300m summer spending spree, meant to fix the many problems and fire the club back into the ascendancy, back toward the Champions League and a consistent, stable position fighting for titles.
After so much money spent, it still feels like the Lilywhites are short in a number of key areas. For example, De Zerbi’s side have failed to score a single goal in the Premier League after four games this term, and Dominic Solanke is hardly helping matters at No. 9.
Why Spurs need to upgrade on Solanke
Tottenham supporters are beginning to lose faith in Solanke, who showed such promise at the start of his Tottenham career, but has been rocked by so many injury problems over the past few years.
At Spurs, he has struggled to find form and sustain it for a prolonged period. The 29-year-old has recovered fitness at the start of the current campaign, though he is seemingly untrusted as a regular starter, with De Zerbi benching him for three of Spurs’ four fixtures.
Finally earning the job against Everton, the 6 foot 1 forward left a lot to be desired, his hold-up play and movement as the focal frontman leading De Zerbi to admit that “he needs to improve his physical condition”.
Dominic Solanke vs Everton | |
|---|---|
Match Stats | # |
Minutes played | 63′ |
Goals + Assists | 0 + 0 |
Touches | 20 |
Shots (on target) | 0 (0) |
Accurate passes | 12/12 (100%) |
Chances created | 0 |
Dribbles completed | 0/1 |
Ball recoveries | 2 |
Def. contributions | 0 |
Duels won | 1/8 |
He completed all 12 of his attempted passes against the Toffees, but offered very little when claiming the ball. It was an anonymous, dispiriting display, and De Zerbi is indeed correct that he will need to shape up quickly if he is going to make a positive difference for this Spurs side.
Remarkably, he has few challengers at the front of the ship. Omar Marmoush is a talented attacker who will grow into his skin at Tottenham, but whether he is an out-and-out centre-forward is open to debate.
However, the Londoners may have an interesting alternative for the Italian manager to consider.
How Spurs can solve their Solanke issue
Tottenham’s senior players might be struggling, but there is a wealth of up-and-coming quality just waiting to burst onto the major stage – and while the outfit aren’t battling a cold and real possibility of falling into another relegation dogfight, perhaps now is the time for De Zerbi to make the call and unleash one of the club’s most talented.
It might be a good idea to show such a player the kind of faith that confirms to them that this is the environment for them to develop in. Look at the JJ Gabriel situation at Manchester United, and how Luka Vuskovic fought to escape from north London before making a big-money summer switch to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Well, considering all this, meet Luca Williams-Barnett, who is showing so much potential as he patiently waits for his Premier League debut. Hailed as “one of the most exciting talents in England” by football scout Jacek Kulig, the 17-year-old is more of a hybrid No. 10 than a proper frontman, but in Marmoush, he could find the perfect senior to learn from, with his goal record at youth level certainly not to be sniffed at.
Technically brilliant and naturally potent, Williams-Barnett has scored 38 goals and supplied 21 assists at youth level for Spurs. His experience as a No. 9 is limited, but eight goals from five outings suggests that he knows how to position himself and strike true in front of goal.
Williams-Barnett and Vuskovic are of course diametrically opposed from a tactical perspective, but the warning signs should still be blaring after ENIC lost such a prodigious defensive prospect this summer. Vuskovic has every chance of developing into one of the best in the world.
Likewise, Williams-Barnett has the physicality, athleticism and natural technical ability to grow into a superstar in the Premier League, and with that in mind, perhaps it’s time for De Zerbi to start promoting players such as this one to challenge strugglers such as Solanke for a starting berth.
Way back when, a young Harry Kane was called upon to help a struggling Spurs side. How did that one work out for the young English forward?
Source: www.footballfancast.com
