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Jamie Vardy left his stage pointing at the Premier League crest on the arm of his shirt. The one raised finger indicated to Tottenham supporters that he has won one more title than them. At 37, he may be the oldest wind-up merchant in the division. He is also – along with N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Claudio Ranieri and co – the man who prevented them from triumphing in 2016, even if there was something Tottenham-esque about an ability to come third in that particular two-horse race.
As Leicester returned to the top flight, Tottenham contrived to share the points in a match where their dominance was such that their hosts had a lone touch in the box in the first half. The eventual total stood at 60-11 in Spurs’ favour. It counted for very little, courtesy of Vardy’s equaliser. Such matches can happen: in a low-scoring sport, away from home. There is always a temptation to read too much into opening-night results.
It was, though, Ange Postecoglou who referenced the bigger picture and hinted at failings that could cost his side: a lack of a killer instinct. Drawing 1-1 with Leicester felt wasteful in itself; six of last season’s top eight have won already and even the anomalies, Chelsea, could at least argue they were playing Manchester City.
In contrast, Tottenham were playing the champions of the Championship. They had 15 shots, seven on target, 71 per cent possession, 13 corners. They got one goal and one point.
“We need to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal,” Postecoglou concluded. “At times we made poor decisions. When we are that dominant, we should be out of sight. We had similar issues last year and if we’re going to get to the next level as a team and bridge the gap to the top sides, it is an area of the game we need to improve.”
All of which could have heightened the focus on the biggest buy in the Premier League this summer. Spurs spent £65m on Dominic Solanke. Policies of buying young and looking for resale value were set aside for a player who turns 27 next month. Solanke’s debut produced two headers and one shot, all on target. The criticism could be that he directed each too close to Mads Hermansen. None demanded a remarkable save.
Solanke offered signs he will give Spurs another dimension with more of an aerial presence in the box. James Maddison delivered 11 crosses; Tottenham put in the second most of any team this weekend. The last ball into the box, Lucas Bergvall’s 99th-minute free kick, brought the most glaring miss, Richarlison heading wide.
Postecoglou’s choice of word was instructive given the two main candidates to lead the line for Spurs. Ruthless? Richarlison has underperformed his expected goals in three of the last four seasons. Solanke does every year. The numbers instead show the byword for ruthlessness is his captain: Heung-Min Son was often used as the striker last year, seems to have been sent back to the left now and has overperformed his xG in eight successive seasons. A new forward line is being forged and that can take time but Son had a lone shot at Leicester. Spurs did not supply him.
“We do everything to score goals and we didn’t score,” said Postecoglou, scarcely placated by Spurs’ excellence in other aspects. “The dominance is great but if you don’t score it is meaningless. We have to be stronger in our mindset in the front third. To be that wasteful is disappointing. We just weren’t clinical. To get results you need to be a lot more ruthless in the final third. If we don’t we won’t get the rewards our football should get. The responsibility is on me.”
And perhaps a broader lack of ruthlessness is the reason Tottenham are not playing Champions League football this season. Last year, they took 26 points from their opening 10 games, but only 40 from the remaining 28, squandering a fine position. Within matches, they dropped 20 points from winning positions; Aston Villa, who instead took fourth spot, dropped a mere seven.
Perhaps Tottenham need to be more ruthless in both boxes. There was a paradox to Spurs last year: they conceded 61 goals even though, individually, the goalkeeper and the first-choice back four all had fine campaigns. It suggested structural problems with Angeball; perhaps also that there was a lack of a top-class defensive midfielder. When Leicester suddenly stirred, Tottenham started to look susceptible on the break.
As it was, they lost Rodrigo Bentancur, who started at the base of the midfield, to a head injury. Yves Bissouma, the other likely candidate, was serving a one-match, club-imposed ban for inhaling laughing gas. Solanke’s expensive arrival suggests he will be the first-choice No 9; it is less clear who will be the regular No 6. An issue has not been resolved.
So after the flying start to Angeball 1.0, it was a false start to the second series. In itself, a draw was underwhelming but no disaster. But already, Postecoglou has sounded the warning signal.
