Why Spurs' academy is at risk of being judged harshly this season

There are a number of important mitigating factors around the string of defeats Spurs' academy sides have suffered this season

Welcome to the latest premium edition of Spurs with Alasdair Gold. In this edition, Alasdair takes a look at the recent poor results in Spurs’ academy sides and explains why it’s important not to judge them too harshly. Click here to subscribe and get access to premium editions of this newsletter. Prices start at £5 a month, with a 33% saving for annual subscriptions.

From the outside it can be all too simple to look at a club's academy and a string of defeats and judge it harshly, especially when that academy has previously had so much success.

Tottenham have certainly had that in recent years. The U21s not only topped the huge new Premier League 2 table last season but also went on to win the post-season play-offs under Wayne Burnett.

Wayne Burnett has been in charge of Spurs’ most senior youth side since 2017

The U18s have had major success under Stuart Lewis in recent seasons, lifting both the U18 and U17 Premier League Cups a couple of seasons ago and reaching the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals last season while finishing fourth in the U18s Premier League.

Yet this season has been a grind. The U21s currently sit 22nd in the 26-team Premier League 2 table they topped last season. Burnett's men have won only four of their 15 matches in the competition, losing 10. They also didn't get past the group stages of the EFL Vertu Trophy.

The U18s are faring better in the league, sitting fifth under Lewis in the 13-team southern table, but they crashed out of the FA Youth Cup on Thursday with a disappointing fifth-round 4-2 defeat at Watford, with two red cards in the second half.

In football there's always a rush to judgement. It must be the staff, the tactics or the lack of quality players.

Academy life is different though. There are so many outside variables that can affect how a youth team performs.

Take the U21s for example. Burnett's side had a huge chunk of goals and assists galore removed from it this season.