With Spurs currently enjoying a solid run of form, much has been made of Pochettino’s decision to put faith in his younger players, especially in the bigger games of the season and it’s a decision that seems to be paying off.
Tottenham Hotspur – The Influence of Spurs Youth
In the recent North London Derby Tottenham’s average squad age was an incredible 23.6 years old, the youngest of any starting XI fielded in the Premier League this season. Aside from the obviously superb performances from academy star Harry Kane, who has been in scintillating form for the Lilywhites this season, much praise has been heaped upon the midfield partnership of youth players Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb. Both have been very consistent for Spurs this season, giving the North London side great levels of energy and determination that other options at Spurs may fail to offer. Pushing big named players Paulinho and Mousa Dembele to the bench gives a solid indication at the level in which these youngsters are performing, which reflects the form over reputation that Pochettino loves to instil in his squads.
Additionally, in recent weeks the emergence of Eric Dier who seems to have re-established himself in the first team alongside Belgian international Jan Vertonghen, has been particularly pleasing with the English centre half looking much more confident on the ball and giving a solid partnership ahead of in form goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Another astonishing aspect of Tottenham’s team is the age of their front four, whether they’re playing Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen, Nacer Chadli, Andros Townsend or Harry Kane, none of these are over the age of 25. The potential in the Spurs team is exciting, especially if these players hit the heights that the Tottenham faithful dream of.
Even though he was touched upon earlier, it would be unfair not to talk about the revelation at Tottenham this season that would be Harry Kane’s goal scoring form. In all competitions this season, the Chingford born lad has hit 25 goals already and doesn’t show signs of letting up anytime soon. With 12 goals in his last 11 appearances, in the league, Harry Kane has continued to set the league alight with his consistently high level displays in front of goal and looks set to cement himself in the Spurs team for the considerable future.
In the last few days Pochettino has stated his desire to continue introducing more youth products into the first team, adding that there are some truly promising prospects that deserve their chance. New January signing DeAndre Yedlin is yet to make his debut for the first team and seems to be edging closer to being ready to feature. Additionally, England U18s international Joshua Onomah made his debut for the senior team in January and his performances for the Tottenham U21’s side will definitely give Pochettino something to think about in the coming weeks.
Tottenham are often said to pride themselves in their Youth facilities and no doubt with the recent success of their academy products are raring to allow more youngsters to prove their worth in the first team in the near future, something many Spurs fans will embrace with open arms.
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