FIVE - POINT PLAN

1 STOP LOSING LEADS

Mourinho’s Chelsea were experts in protecting a lead. His Tottenham were not. Too often, they played fearful football; rather than attempting to extend their advantage, they invited pressure and conceded. Second in the first- half table and 10th after the interval, Spurs lost 23 points from winning positions last term. Add those back and they would have been a solitary point behind champions Manchester City. The club need a new mentality now.

2 FIND A CENTRE- BACK PARTNERSHIP

Jose’s subtle- as- a- brick hints that he wanted better defenders may have been a cause of cautious tactics, but his inability to forge a sturdy alliance wasn’t entirely new. Toby Alderweireld is past his best, Joe Rodon is yet to reach his, Davinson Sanchez had spells out of favour and Eric Dier was dropped by England. Solidity should help to improve on 2020- 21’ s poor away record.

3 GET DELE BACK

Remember when Dele Alli scored 18 Premier League goals in a season? Last term he played 619 league minutes – and 385 of them were under Ryan Mason. Marginalising that talent has accomplished next to nothing and proved a counterproductive waste, so rehabilitating him is key, along with Ryan Sessegnon.

4 PICK ( AT LEAST) TWO ENIGMAS

Giovani Lo Celso played well during 2019- 20 and Tanguy Ndombele last term, but rarely did they together. Before either were signed, Alli was a talisman. The problem – certainly for Mourinho, who struggled to accommodate more than one – is that they like to operate in similar areas. Nuno’s challenge is to find a formation that utilises more of their talents.

5 START SHARING THE GOALS AROUND

Kane ( 23), Son Heung- min ( 17) and on- loan Bale ( 11) scored 75 per cent of Spurs’ total goals last season. The drop off to Lucas Moura and Ndombele ( three each) is marked and, with much uncertainty around Kane, Son can’t pick up all the slack. Time for a gifted squad to step up.