Tottenham had a protracted battle to bring Lewis Holtby to White Hart Lane after the German International was originally scheduled to arrive this summer. With a sudden injury crisis sparked by the loss of Sandro, the need for back up became urgent so the 22 year old arrived several months ahead of schedule.
At the end of the campaign, Spurs fans may have wondered why their club had bothered to advance the deal. A consistent bench warmer, Holtby made just 11 appearances in the league, 17 in total, and even when he did start, his number 23 shirt seemed to be the first one signalled by the fourth official.
We certainly didn’t see the best of Lewis Holtby but the player is looking only at the summer break and hopefully, a greater impact next season.
“It’s important for me now to have a summer break as we then meet for pre-season and go to Hong Kong,” Holtby said on the club’s official website.
“That will be very important. You adapt more, get to know everyone more and more and that was the only thing I missed when I joined.”
Overall, the player was happy with his start to life at Spurs despite his relative lack of involvement.
“Everything I hoped for has come true,” he claimed.
“I had a really enjoyable second half of the season here, everything happened so quickly, on my second day at the club I made my debut at Norwich.”
Spurs have an abundance of personnel across the middle of the park but clearly Holtby is staying at the Lane having only joined up in January. The question is, how will AVB get the best out of him during the next campaign or is it simply a matter of playing more?
I think there is PLENTY to come from Lewis Holtby – providing AVB makes Spurs a more expansive side.
Key to making the team more expansive, creative, fluid and ultimately dangerous will be dispensing of the services of a certain Clint Dempsey, in favour of a more imaginative player in the shape of Holtby, Townsend, the ever improving Sigurdsson or a new purchase.
Yes, I know Clint is a decent player, but Spurs require better than just decent if they are to make a serious impact on the EPL next season. Master of the sideways/backwards pass, Dempsey skill-set is too limited to be REALISTICALLY regarded as anything other than an impact player for a team with ambitions of finishing above the likes of Utd, City, Chelsea or even Arsenal.
None of the teams above would consider Dempsey a starter in the first-eleven, so why do/should we?
Once Dempsey has been reduced to a bit part role, or even better sold at a profit, AVB must replace him with a player who has flair, quickness of thought, creativity, vision, drive, determination, game intelligence (in terms of movement off the ball) and the ability to influence a game over the course of 90mins, with a greater consistency than the American.
To be fair, Spurs ALREADY have three players in the current squad that embody a number of those attributes/characteristics/qualities but its vital they receive more opportunities than they were given last season.
Holtby is a class act that will only get better, but he was unfortunate to join a club where the teams star player was consistently ( and somewhat rigidly) playing in his favoured position.
If Spurs are to persist with Bale being deployed as a no 10, behind the striker, it’s vital that the 3 men-behind the striker learn to interchange with more fluidity and a greater sense of cohesion, than we saw last season, IF we are to see talents like Sigurdsson, Holtby and Townsend realise their enormous potential.
As talented as Sigurdsson and Holtby, in particular, are, they are two players who would unquestionably prefer to display their abilities in more central areas of the field, where they can have a greater influence on proceedings.
Similar to they way Chelsea have strived to get the best out of Oscar, Mata and Hazard, Spurs MUST learn do the same in order to add variety and a sense unpredictability to attacks, and also unlock the true potential of established stars such as Lennon, who I think would thrive given the license to roam in central areas of the field, as well as out wide.
An attacking combo consisting of any three from Holtby, Sigurdsson, Bale, Lennon or Townsend should be a match for any/most team/s in the EPL, providing they are given the opportunities to develop a better understanding of each others games (and a slightly altered playing style) in the upcoming pre-season matches.
Up till now, I feel AVB has put, what he perceives to be a
a greater goal threat in Dempsey BEFORE considering the teams mechanics, in relation to its creative make-up.
It’s easy to understand why given the fact we had 2 strikers that only scored 6 goals in the EPL in 2013, however doing so came at a cost, which in the end proved dear. Putting goals before creativity seems like a logical thing to do doesn’t it?
But what has to be taken into consideration is the fact that the MORE chances you create, the MORE likely you are to score!!!
Food for thought…
I’m glad to hear he’s happy so far. He works very hard. Hopefully it’ll click for him but he looks like he’s been forcing it and really not quite hitting his stride. Nice to have him around though so we can move some of that deadwood off the payroll and not worry about decent cover. We really have been playing him all over the place.
Sign Bale, Villa and Benteke and we’re title contenders. It really is simple. We’re right there. Need some money for it then sell:
Gomes, Bentley, Parker, Adebayour, Huddleston, Siggy, Dempsey. If you build it the will come Daniel… Don’t sell Bale!!!
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Yeah he will be in Bayern jersey next season. Why join a shitty club full of shitty clown. Keep fuck shit you spuds!