Tottenham need to rediscover their swagger despite best ever start to a Premier League season

Coming back | Pochettino should have Alli back from injury to face Manchester City
David Rogers/Getty Images
Tony Evans22 October 2018

It is difficult to judge Tottenham. Spurs have made their best start to a Premier League season but there’s something not quite right about Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Few clubs have overcome so many obstacles in the first quarter of a campaign. A number of players look heavy-legged after their adventures in the World Cup in Russia. Injuries have piled up and exposed the limitations of a squad that was not replenished during the transfer window. They have been unable to move into the new White Hart Lane stadium. It is remarkable that Spurs are fourth in the table, just two points behind the leaders Manchester City.

Pochettino has one of the toughest jobs in the division and he will be tested further before the November international break. The crucial Champions League Group B match away to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday is the beginning of a run of six games in 18 days.

The 46-year-old wondered why has team has received so little credit after Saturday’s hard-fought 1-0 win over West Ham. Spurs had a touch more quality but the contest was close and if Hugo Lloris had not been at the top of his game the result could have been very different.

Tottenham will be much closer to full strength in Eindhoven, with Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen easing their way back to fitness. Spurs have no margin for error in their double-header against the Dutch side after losing their first two Champions League games. Now would be a good time to rediscover their swagger.

In Pictures | West Ham vs Tottenham | 20/10/2018

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Grinding out results is a great habit for any team but Pochettino’s men seem to have forgotten some of the qualities that allowed them to crash the top four and remain there for three consecutive seasons. The Argentinian instilled a relentless energy in the side. They moved the ball swiftly and never allowed the opposition time to rest.

On Saturday they were static in possession and struggled to carve out space. It took a driving run by Moussa Sissoko to create the goal for Erik Lamela. Harry Kane was given little service.

Their passing was wasteful, too, and that exacerbated another problem: this has become a side that is susceptible to the counter-attack.

West Ham had neither the ability nor the intelligence to exploit the gaps that appeared but Pep Guardiola’s City will give Spurs a thorough examination in a week’s time. For once, Tottenham may be thankful for a substandard Wembley pitch. It will suit the home side’s dogged approach and slow down the champions.

Pochettino can afford to be optimistic, though. Dele Alli should be back for the City game and the club will be active in the transfer market in January.

If Spurs can tough out the next six games and are still riding high and in contention to qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League, they will get all the credit Pochettino believes they deserve.

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