Are these the reasons behind a much-improved Tottenham Hotspur?

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2 – Getting rid of players who don’t fit his system

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The Sheriff; as Mauricio Pochettino is affectionately known, has overhauled his squad completely in his second season as Spurs manager. The man at the helm said a cursory goodbye to several experienced quality players such as Etienne Capoue, Emmanuel Adebayor, Paulinho, Vlad Chiriches, Benjamin Stambouli, Lewis Holtby, Younes Kaboul (notably after having made him club captain), Aaron Lennon and Roberto Soldado. That is worth the staggering amount of 70 million Euros in transfer fees! The explanation was that those players were unwilling to put in the type of work-rate that is required in the manager’s high-pressing system that has gone on to prove so successful this term.

With much of this cash now freed up for Pochettino to invest in the squad, he has primarily signed players who have not had a huge impact on Spurs’ fortunes this campaign. Nearly three quarters of the money recouped from selling the misfits was spent on Clinton N’Jie and Heung-Min Son, both of whom have struggled to break into the starting XI playing 665 combined minutes this season so far!

The lone notable signing was Toby Alderweireld, who played for Pochettino’s previous club in the Premier League; Southampton. The Belgian has been remarkable this year, ranking 4th in Squawka’s ratings for defenders, and earning high praise everywhere. He is that rare breed of centre-back who is quick enough to keep pace with with counter-attacks while dominating in the air too. For example, Alderweireld won 12 aerial duels in the recent game against Leicester City. The Belgian is also a threat in the opposition’s half as he had four shots on goal in that same game.