Photo via Pexels
Eleven games into the 2026-27 season, Tottenham sit seventh — better than last year but still not where the club expected to be. We dig into the data, the tactics and the questions Spurs must answer.
Seven wins, two draws and two defeats. For Tottenham Hotspur, sitting seventh in the Premier League table with 23 points from 11 games, the numbers are neither disastrous nor particularly inspiring. The truth, as it usually is with Spurs, is more complicated than a simple league position suggests. After years of heartbreak, false dawns and managerial upheaval, is 2026-27 finally the season things click at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — or is the club treading water once more?
The first thing to acknowledge is that this is a Tottenham side that actually looks defensively organised. With just 14 goals conceded in 11 games — a marked improvement on the same point last season — Spurs have finally found some defensive solidity. Much of the credit belongs to centre-back pairing Micky van de Ven and Radu Drăgușin, who have formed one of the most progressive defensive duos in the division.
Van de Ven's pace and ball-carrying ability allows Tottenham to defend high and compress space in ways that simply weren't possible under previous systems. The Dutch defender's recovery speed is elite — he ranks first in the Premier League for distance covered per 90 minutes among central defenders. Alongside him, Drăgușin has been a revelation: strong in the air, composed in possession and increasingly aggressive in winning back the ball.
Son Heung-min, now 34, continues to defy age. The South Korean has eight goals and four assists from 11 league games, making him comfortably Spurs' best performer. His link-up play with summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin — who has rediscovered his best form after injury-plagued years — gives the Spurs attack a physical and technical balance it has lacked in recent seasons.
The fundamental issue remains in midfield. Tottenham are still too easy to bypass through the centre. Opponents consistently target the channels either side of the holding midfielder — a problem that was exposed brutally in the 3-1 defeat at Manchester City in Gameweek 9. Without a genuinely elite ball-winning midfielder, Spurs will continue to be vulnerable against the top sides.
Pape Matar Sarr has the athleticism and the passing range, but his positional discipline off the ball remains inconsistent. James Maddison, deployed as a ten, has been excellent going forward — five assists already — but his defensive contributions are minimal. The question is whether the manager will tweak the shape to give Maddison licence to express himself while protecting the defence more effectively.
There is also the question of depth. Tottenham's starting eleven on a good day can compete with most teams in the division. But the drop-off in quality from the first choice XI to the squad players is steep. Injuries to key players — and there have already been two to Brennan Johnson this season — expose a worrying lack of genuine alternatives in the wide areas.
The transfer window opens in just two months and Spurs' recruitment team will have clear targets in mind. A central midfielder capable of breaking up play and protecting the defence must be the priority. Reports have linked the club with a move for a Bundesliga-based holding midfielder, though those talks are understood to be at an early stage.
The other area that requires attention is the left-back position. Destiny Udogie has been playing through discomfort for several weeks and the lack of a natural backup has been a constant anxiety for the coaching staff. A loan move in January for a proven Premier League left-back could be a smart short-term fix.
Tottenham Hotspur in 2026-27 are a better side than they were twelve months ago. The defence is more organised, the top scorer is performing at an elite level and there is at least a coherent tactical identity in place. But the gap between Spurs and the genuine title contenders — Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool — remains significant. Seventh place, while not a crisis, is not where this club wants to be. The next eight games before January will tell us whether this is a squad capable of fighting for a top-four finish or simply consolidating mid-table respectability.
The potential is there. The squad needs reinforcement. And Tottenham, as ever, will make you wait before they let you believe.
The latest Premier League injury news ahead of Gameweek 12 — including updates on Haaland, Salah, Saka and several other key players who could miss the weekend's fixtures.
Arsenal sit top of the table as Gameweek 12 arrives — but tricky fixtures for the title contenders could shake up the standings before the international break.
Arsenal sit top of the Premier League after ten gameweeks, but Manchester City are breathing down their necks. We assess every contender's chances.