Tottenham Hotspur was one of the biggest spenders this summer, adding such players as Paulinho and Roberto Soldado among others to its extensive lineup with the hopes of competing for the Premier League title this year. Despite all the spending, manager Andre Villas-Boas thinks that the team is ready for the status.
"The circumstances are difficult," Villas-Boas said, according to Goal.com. "The investment that we have made raises expectations in people but what we have to do is create a team that bonds together. That takes time and we see that our opponents are one step ahead as they have players who have been together for many years - that is an advantage that we don't have."
"I think we have invested a lot in young players that have real potential. Obviously we will have to work with them to make sure they develop into the world stars that we think they can become," he added. "All of them have great ambition to succeed and win titles which is one of the criteria that we wanted. Now it is about creating a team that bonds together and assumes the responsibility of winning those titles. This is what we have now and hopefully we can get a good response."
Villas-Boas and company spent over 120 million euros to replenish the team's ranks in light of Gareth Bale's 100 million euro departure for Real Madrid. However, Bale was a major component of the Tottenham team that finished fifth last year as he scored a number of the team's game winners and was the centerpiece around which the rest of the team was built.
Bale has not yet played this season and his absence has already had an impact on his former team. Without Bale, Tottenham has been mediocre at best. The team has two wins and one loss, and the lone loss came against Arsenal, a team that proved that splurging cash does not always translate into victories. Furthermore, Tottenham's offense has been ineffective and the only two goals for the team have come from the penalty spot.
Tottenham plays Norwich City on Saturday in a match that will give the league a better idea of whether Villas-Boas is right or if he is underestimating his own players.