How can Tottenham Hotspur recover from a tough start to the Premier League season?
How can Tottenham Hotspur recover from a tough start to the Premier League season?
The panel discusses Tottenham’s poor start to the Premier League season, covering Andy Robertson’s winning experience, the team’s fragile mindset, defensive integration and poor finishing, with the view that a turnaround will take time. Mary Earps sees possible signs of progress but stresses that Tottenham’s league form remains far from good enough and cannot be sustained for full games.
- Andy Robertson’s winning experience, leadership and mentality can only help this Spurs side — He has won the Champions League and Premier League at club level and can pass that experience on to the players.
- Tottenham will not turn things around overnight; even with a much stronger squad than last season, it will take time — They finished 17th two seasons in a row, and before the international break they had a spell on top without taking their chances before quickly going 3-0 down.
- Jurgen Klopp deserves huge credit for Andy Robertson’s development, and Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are arguably the best full-back pairing in the world — Robertson’s crossing, distribution and overall improvement have been clear, with Klopp’s coaching a major factor.
- Tottenham are fragile mentally right now and must block out the noise and stay focused — They are still without a win after five games, the fans’ anxiety is palpable, and one mistake or conceded goal can affect their whole performance.
- Tottenham may be close to a turning point, but their Premier League form is still nowhere near good enough and they cannot sustain performances for full games — There have been signs elsewhere that things are starting to click, but the league form has been poor and the way they conceded against Aston Villa was especially bad; today could be the day.
- This squad will take time to settle, and Tottenham’s real problem is creating and taking chances — There have been defensive changes and injuries plus new arrivals in midfield; they have finished 17th for two seasons, and if they do not take their chances they get punished.
- The international break came at the right time for Tottenham to regroup and reset, with five games before the next one — Top teams still believe they can come back after going behind, while struggling teams get drained by negativity, and Spurs must clear that mindset.
► Subscribe to Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWSkySportsYT Michael Dawson, Mary Earps and Julien Laurens discuss with Roman Kemp the problems that Tottenham Hotspur have faced this Premier League season ahead of their game against Manchester United. SkySportsNews SkySports tottenhamhotspur ► For the latest developments on this story: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/topstories ► For the latest transfer news: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/TransferCentre More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsnews ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsNews ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage
Transcript
Dors with with Andy Robertson. Did you notice it from from early on how good he could become? >> I mean, Robert, it was great to see him and you see what his career's gone on to to achieve. I've got nothing but admiration for him. I really really haven't. As a young kid coming from from Scotland to Hull, I think I was 30 31 at the time when I went there and and he he just bought into it as a young kid like the senior pros and now to see him now at 32 to go on and now he'll be passing that experience on. What an unbelievable player. character, leader, mentality to go on achieve Champions League, Premier League, everything possible from a club level to win. It can only help this Spurs team. Look, they finished 17th two seasons in a row. Yeah. >> So, there was a mindset there of going, how do you change it? And maybe I was one of those that thought I had so much optimism for the season. It doesn't just change overnight. They've put a group of players there that is way better than what was there last year, but it takes time. I mean he says in that look there's been moments in the game the game against Assenville before the international break 35 minutes there was only one team going to win it they didn't take the chances and in a blink of an eye they're out the game 3-0 down so it's going to take time but I certainly expected them to be in a better position from from where they were and saying h did I expect this from Andy Robertson I think Jurgen Klopp has to take enormous amount of credit yeah when he when he left he had three seasons we had a promotion we had two relegations and you think can you go from a team that's at the bottom end of the the Premier League >> to challenging for all lease and how what do you have to be? You have to have a mindset and that pressure week in week out to win and then to be able to deliver. Him and Trent right hand side and left hand side arguably the best fullbacks in the world as a pairing for me in my opinion. Not because a friend of Rob OS but just his improvement, his crossing, his distribution, it just went one way. >> It really did. I mean look an unbelievable career and still still is going obviously experience-wise as you touched on. How vital is that obviously to Spurs now in this moment they're in and knowing him as you do, what do you think he'll be he'll be wanting to push? >> Well, he'll be trying to improve the guys and we touched on it on Thursday when I was lucky to go and interview him when he talked about you got to remember some of these players uh Europa League winners not too long ago. So, but that mindset isn't just gone away. We're five games in, they're still yet to win a game. So, there they are fragile. You can see that the fans feel it. they all realize that one mistake or a goal against you that can't affect the whole game. You've got to try and >> switch that noise off and have a focus. Whereas Andy Robertson's been there. I had it when I went after nine and a half years at Spurs. You go into a team that's lower down and you you have a little bit more relax. You try and help the players around you and that's what he's got to try and do. They've got to keep calm because Roberto Deserby, he gets animated. He he he expects No, he he expects his demands. Everything has to be perfect for him. And at this moment in time, it's not quite there. >> But Mary, you think the Spurs, they might be on that that cusp of of maybe about to >> Yeah, potentially. I think they've they've they've had some performances elsewhere where it's looking like it's starting to click a little bit, but then in the Premier League, it's just not been great at all. >> No, >> I think they've had spells, but they've not been able to sustain it for for full games. Um I think the the Villa game was was really not great in terms of conceding and and the manner in which they did that. Um but you know potentially today might be the day. We'll see. >> That might be the day. I I've got to ask as well 300 million spent as as Robo mentioned in that interview. How how much time is this going to take to to get set as a unit? I mean you've been in so many defensive units. How long does that take? >> Not long. I hope no it does take time. There's no doubt in that. You see Andy Robertson left by a doggy. Pedro Porro's injured. You got Van Hecka coming in. Vicky Van Devent. It does take time. The two in the middle of the park. Benson Kur's been very good. He's been there for a long time. Tali comes in. You know, Fernandez comes in and at the middle of the park at the top end of the field. That's where the the real problem's been creating opportunities, taking them, and that's why they've been 17th for two seasons. It's fine fine margins in games. And if you don't take your chances when you're on top and one mistake, you get punished. And that negativity kicks in. Fragile fans, you could feel it and see it in the stadium. I covered the game. >> Yeah. >> And in the blink of an eye, the game was taken away from them. You can't have that. But that is a mindset of when you you're at the top, you go one down. Don't worry, we'll come back. We'll take the game to you. When you're on the other end, it just it drains out of you and you feel it and you have to try and clear that. I think the international break came at the right time for them to to regroup, reset, and now they've got five games before the next one. Very quickly uh from all just a quick score prediction on uh United Spurs. Jules >> super open for me. Two two. >> Oh yeah two. Go on. I think it's hard. They're not scoring are they? I don't know. >> I know. I want to back him. I'm next to you. I just I want to back him but >> I still think United will do it too well. >> You've got Man United. I was going to say Red Hat on but you got >> Forest. What do you reckon? Two-1 Spurs. I think I think the game will be very very tense. Both teams not in the in the greatest form. So, but I'm going two-1 Spurs.