Captain fantastically flawed

When players depart it can go one of two ways, we can drop to our knees and howl at Levy’s decision to put the bank balance before our ambitions, or we shrug our shoulders and smirk at an oppositions scouting network. Today though it feels a bit different. For the second season running Spurs have sold their “leader.” For all his faults, on the pitch and off it, Younes Kaboul was our captain, he may have needed to go, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult.

The departure of Kaboul is monumental, not in the sense we are losing a key player, but in the sense that once again Spurs are cutting ties with the man they appointed to lead. For the third time in four seasons, for one reason or another, a Tottenham captain has left.

For the majority of my life Spurs have struggled to find a figure on whom we can rely on consistently, a figure that when things start to slip he can hold us upright. As a kid I loved Boxer in Animal Farm, his unbreakable faith and strength easily made him my favourite character. The passage in the book that to this day sticks in my head is when they’re building the windmill and the stone starts to slip, just as it looks doomed, he flexes his muscles and holds it together. At Spurs we have lacked that, our captains have been fallible, mentally, physically or just in general terms of talent.
[linequote]Kaboul was obviously enough of a presence for Mauricio Pochettino to deem him worthy of the armband, but just as his body crumbled so did his authority[/linequote]
The players who have captained Spurs in recent years is telling. It is an indictment of our transfer policy. Scott Parker, Jamie Redknapp, Aaron Lennon, Tim Sherwood, Michael Dawson, Emmanuel Adebayor, William Gallas, Hugo Lloris, Ledley King and Harry Kane. I am sure there are many more I have missed. Of these only King deserved the armband, yet despite his class, he epitomises what has been leading us recently, a flawed individual.

For too long the captaincy has landed on those who have been there at the right time, not the individual who has stepped up to take it.

Kane may one day earn the armband, but for it to be thrust upon him now is like handing a lightsabre to an infant Luke Skywalker and pushing him towards Darth Vader. He isn’t ready and shouldn’t have to carry us at such a young age. Lloris who captains his national team, is the right person to lead us now, but he is the best of a dubious bunch. Our lack of leadership has been a problem at Spurs long before we needed a top class striker, a defensive minded central midfielder or a chairman who will spend money.

Kaboul should have been the player to lead us forward. In his early days he had moments where despite his early inability to read the game, his strength got us out of a hole. The equaliser in the 4-4 125th anniversary game, the winner against them at the Emirates and charging down the wing vs City to set up Crouch. Moments where his body, more than his mind held us together. As he matured he should have honed his craft and allowed his experience to compensate for a decline in his physique but he didn’t.

The decline of Kaboul is twofold, his body went followed closely by his mind. His size, combined with his strength, and the moments where he was able to read a situation, were incredible. He looked like a young Rio Ferdinand, a player who could become our cornerstone, but injuries hit.  Physically he never recovered, yet he remained a presence within the club.

From here he should have led, in the background through attitude and determination. He was obviously enough of a presence for Mauricio Pochettino to deem him worthy of the armband, but just as his body crumbled so did his authority. A football player is only as important as his performances, if you start to under-perform, your value as a voice and influence will wane. When Kaboul threw his weight around after a dismal defeat to Stoke he lost out to players who despite lacking stature, were performing.

[fullquote]Look across our transfers, we have signed talented players who have been unable to adapt. Individuals who have lacked the necessary mental ability to handle not only the pressure, but the significant moments that playing for Spurs brings[/fullquote]

He wasn’t cast adrift at this point, there was still a role for him, but his inability to accept the new order, combined with his deteriorating ability ended his career at Spurs. The defining moment being the on field bust-up with Jan Vertonghen versus Burnley in the FA Cup, a player who 12 months earlier was having his own attitude questioned.

His failings as a captain are clear, but it also serves to highlight our failings. We have consistently failed to sign the players with the right attitude. Look across our transfers, we have signed talented players who have been unable to adapt. Individuals who have lacked the necessary mental ability to handle not only the pressure, but the significant moments that playing for Spurs brings.

Kaboul’s departure is a sign that Spurs are finally letting go of this errors. His exit will undoubtedly be followed quickly by that of Adebayor, another player lacking the ability to inspire others. Leading and uniting is a precious commodity, it doesn’t have to be whistle blowing, chest thumping and charging into “no man ’s land” but it does need a certain attitude, one that both Kaboul and Adebayor lack.

[linequote] Personally I feel Nabil Bentaleb will be our leader at some point, if he can define his role within our team tactically[/linequote]

This season our best candidates are once again Vertonghen and Lloris, but there is a doubt over them. There is that nagging feeling that they are a string of good performances away from a Champions League team. For now though, thanks to them being regular starters with international experience, we have no choice, but they are not the solution.

From what I have seen this summer, I don’t think we will buy leadership, but nurture it. I think our future captain will emerge from our youth team, the one facet to our club that has been run superbly under ENIC. We may not have recreated “The Class of 92,” yet, but there has been enough success to show that is from this stable our Boxer will emerge. Whether it be Kane at some point further down the road, or Ryan Mason, should he continue to improve enough to warrant a starting XI slot. Personally I feel Nabil Bentaleb will be our leader at some point, if he can define his role within our team tactically.

Bentaleb a supremely talented footballer that needs to move from “breakout” category, to “standout.” If he is to achieve his potential he needs to start becoming the metronome, the heartbeat of this team. If he achieves this the captaincy will slip easily on to his arm. He has, from the little we have seen, the temperament, the drive and the focus to become the captain Kaboul and many others have failed to be.