Spurs have a premature arrogance from the Premier League champions

It is not the first time this season that the Spurs have been found guilty of putting the cart before the horse. Bitten on the ass by an arrogance that has yet to be earned, his failures so far this season are not due to tactical matters at all. His collapse against West Ham it was symptomatic of a side that has prematurely begun to believe its own exaggeration, having done absolutely nothing worth adopting an attitude not even half as self-confident as it ultimately cost them.

Having lost points at home to Everton, Newcastle and West Ham, two of which come from eminently winnable positions, if he turned those results into two wins and a draw (which is neither divorced from reality nor beyond the realms of the possible ). ) would be together at the top of the Premier League, and probably ahead on goal difference. Instead, they are sixth, having done more to establish themselves as a meme than aspiring title contenders.

While Everton’s game can be ignored in isolation – their transfer business was yet to be completed, their form has yet to be found, and it was a close game to start the season that could have easily gone either way – negligence. it cost them against West Ham was the same negligence that had been their downfall against Newcastle, Putting aside the conveniently controversial decision of VAR handball. These are games that should have been trampled and killed. West Ham should only have been identifiable through their dental records. Instead, however, the Spurs lost even more points at home, having knocked down tools in a way they have yet to win.

The most frustrating thing is that this is not a side that is not able to stick to the task and apply when motivated. Against teams like Chelsea, Manchester United and even Southampton, they have been the model for application, but because they somehow see themselves as superior to Newcastle or West Ham, that same level of focus and motivation was not present during the game. enough time to get the job done. If they had shown even a hint of the desire they showed in the closing moments of the first half, with Son shutting down the defenders at full speed and Harry Kane launching challenges in his own box after the break, the outcome would not have been in question. . Having held the lead long enough and assuming the game was over both times, they have been penalized twice, and are now four points poorer as a result. Having been a team with a reputation for being soft-hearted, Tottenham now appear to be soft-headed.

It would be easy – and frankly, deliberately complacent – to ignore West Ham’s end of the game as another freak result in a freak season, because there is an emerging consistency in Tottenham’s carelessness. In a modern context, the Spurs have no right to behave as if results are assured and success guaranteed. This is a club that has not won a great honor for over a decade, and that was a League Cup, a trophy they have won since then like Swansea and Birmingham, and a competition that most now see as a hindrance and a distraction rather than a hindrance. royal award. They really should adopt the much needed humility and self-awareness.

The Spurs have the ability to be a true contender in every contest they participate in this season. His team, which has finally added strength in depth, is among the most balanced and competitive in the division. His coach, a man whose exploits have earned him independent episodes of Netflix documentaries such is his reputation, may be uniquely qualified to reverse the club’s modern tendency to repel tangible success. While your mindset is clearly not an easy fix, it is also not beyond repair. The same attitude that saw them resurface at Old Trafford after the break with the intention of inflicting more suffering should have been applied against Newcastle and West Ham, and that would be the same attitude that saw them return against Chelsea and Southampton as well.

You can be forgiven for concentrating too much on individual mistakes and systematic failures, as these are the most satisfying mistakes to curse. There is a catharsis to dismissing Davinson Sánchez, wondering aloud why Harry Winks didn’t just put his boot on the ball or questioning Mourinho’s decision to eliminate Tanguy Ndombele and lose his midfield balance, but what ultimately it is being achieved as a result. of that? It is much more difficult, and therefore much more valuable, to grapple with the concept that there might be something fundamentally flawed with what’s going on between your ears, rather than at your feet.

There may come a time when Tottenham Hotspur will be allowed to behave with the arrogance of champions, but it has not yet come. Their greatest source of motivation should be the knowledge of who they are and where they come from, and that they now have the ability to change that narrative. But if they divorce from reality too soon, as they have been guilty on more than one occasion, it will be yet another in a long list of Spurs squads reeking with the stench of what could have been.

Raj Bains – follow him on twitter