How Deep-Rooted are Spurs' Mentality Issues?

After recording their 5th loss in 11 Premier League games, Tottenham Hotspur manager, Ange Postecoglou, is coming under increased pressure concerning his team's inconsistent performances so far this season. Much has been made of Spurs' mentality issues, particularly as they've not won any silverware since 2008, but where do these mentality issues originate from? Does it come from leadership or is it down to the managers and players?
Tottenham's form this calendar year has been very inconsistent and it feels like other managers have found the blueprint on how to beat Big Ange's side. Ever since that calamitous game against Chelsea last season, Spurs' defensive deficiencies have been easily exploited by other Premier League teams. The extremely high defensive line coupled with a clear weakness in defending set pieces give the opposition multiple avenues of attack, which has contributed to this inconsistency. Big Ange's tactical flexibility has also been questioned in this period of inconsistency. Fans have asked why he insists on playing in such a risky way when they cannot produce the needed level of performances on a consistent basis. There have also been questions about the performance levels on Spurs' defenders this season. Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie don't look as good defensively as they did last season and when Micky Van de Ven is out of the side, the defensive line just does not function as well as when he is playing. Postecoglou is able to fix these defensive issues by dropping the line 5 or 10 yards and ensuring that everyone is clear on what their duties are.
Tottenham in their last 5 home league games
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 10, 2024
😖 Conceded first vs Arsenal
😖 Conceded first vs Brentford
😖 Conceded first vs West Ham
😖 Conceded first vs Aston Villa
😖 Conceded first vs Ipswich#TOTIPS pic.twitter.com/xYiIEt4GF3
Whilst Tottenham are the top scorers in the league so far, there are still question marks about the overall quality of their attackers and whether they are able to maintain their goalscoring form throughout the whole season. The epitome of this is the form of Brennan Johnson. Johnson had a mixed start to the season but it was after the North London Derby where his goalscoring fortunes changed. He deleted his social media accounts after received dog's abuse from fans on his performance in the NLD but in the games after, he went on a scoring run of 6 consecutive games. Since then though, the goals have somewhat dried up again and he is no longer scoring on a regular basis. Big money signing, Dom Solanke, has shown his scoring prowess in some games but he too isn't as consistent as you'd want from a £65 million striker. Some sections of the Spurs fan base are also calling for their captain, Heung-Min Son to be put into more of a rotational role as they believe that he is starting to decline. Whilst he has scored 4 goals in the league, Son doesn't have the same burst of pace and his finishing has been a bit off. In an attacking sense, Big Ange can't really do more from a tactical standpoint other than rotating a bit more and changing aspects of his in-game management like subbing players who aren't having an impact earlier than he does currently.
Tottenham's mentality as a club has been perpetually questioned and it's easy to see why. They always find a way to fall at the final hurdle and in recent weeks, the term "Doctor Tottenham" has resurfaced after helping both Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town their first wins in the Premier League. This is a further indictment on the club's mentality and it mostly has to do with the attitude towards football of club chairman, Daniel Levy. A recent story from Hugo Lloris' autobiography highlighted Levy's attitude towards winning. By gifting every player a luxury watch before the 2019 Champions League, the club were already sending out a message that they were just happy to be finalists and winning the final was just an added bonus. Whilst Lloris' story may be exaggerated, the message cannot be understated. Tottenham just do not act like a big club and there needs to be a change of approach.
Opinion: Tottenham’s big problem is not Big Ange - it’s the man who doesn’t care about winning - he pretty much said it himself. #thfc https://t.co/xLbINSBwHL
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) November 11, 2024
Ange Postecoglou has tried his best in his managerial reign to introduce a belief that the club is able to win trophies but the culture of not winning is so deep-rooted that it will take time to build a new winning mentality. They have three chances of silverware this season still so Spurs fans will be praying that there team is finally able to end their trophy hoodoo this season. But there is always the spectre of being "Spursy" over the club's shoulders!