6 Players That Have To Start For Spurs

It's fair to say that Tottenham haven't had a great start to the season. This summer there was a lot of optimism surrounding White Hart Lane - despite the departure of a certain Welshman, an unusually active transfer window saw seven shiny new players join the club, with the record signing fee broken no less than three times. Fifteen matches in, that optimism has been replaced by more familiar feelings of anxiety and doubt. Off the pitch there's been a fair share of drama for Spurs this campaign . Fans being accused of being negative, the Lloris concussion saga and more recently Andre Villas-Boas' Falling Down-esque attack on certain journalists - every week there seems to be a new 'crisis' at the Lane. On the pitch it hasn't been too rosy either. The team still feels like a group of individuals rather than a united force in which everyone knows their role and works together. Consider the free-flowing attacking football that Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea have displayed this season and compare it with the slow, plodding and unfocused play of Spurs. What Spurs need is stability, especially in the run-up to the notorious Christmas/New Year period. AVB has not helped matters by constantly chopping and changing the squad. Rotation is no bad thing, but the importance of a solid backbone that consistently plays shouldn't be underestimated. So who are the 6 players that should make up this backbone? Read on.