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Mauricio Pochettino does not appear to be a happy man.
The Tottenham Hotspur manager is not his usual engaging self, the energetic boss of one of the best young sides in Europe. No, he’s actually miserable, bemoaning a lack of squad unity after Newcastle United beat Spurs at home on Sunday. That’s Steve Bruce’s Newcastle, one of the sides who look destined for a relegation battle this season.
He has not played Jan Vertonghen at all this season; Christian Eriksen has been benched for two of the three games and it appears that all is not well in north London.
Sources have suggested to Football FanCast that the Belgium international has had a private disagreement with his manager over the club’s tactical direction, while there is an understanding at the club that Eriksen could still depart before the end of the European transfer window. Sources have confirmed that he would still like to join either Real Madrid or Barcelona but there has yet to be a bid from either.
And so we come to the north London derby, Arsenal await at the Emirates before the international break.
Usually, one would suggest that it is must-win, that the whole narrative of the international break can be set by the team that emerges victorious but, really, that’s not the case for Spurs.
To examine their form in 2019 is to see a team more likely to be threatened by relegation, not one aiming to win the Premier League title.
They have collected 15 points in their last 15 games.
Since the 2-1 defeat to Burnley, they have been beaten by Chelsea, Southampton, Liverpool, Manchester City, West Ham United, AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United. Only three of those teams finished inside the top six last season. Spurs have also drawn with Arsenal, Everton and City in that time and their wins, all three of them, came over Crystal Palace, Huddersfield Town and Aston Villa. One of those teams now plays in the Championship and another was recently promoted from it.
A win over Arsenal, then, would be papering over the cracks in an A1 form.
But, of course, Pochettino has grown rather good at that.
While Spurs were on a downward spiral in the league, they reached the Champions League final, beating City and Ajax to reach a showdown with Liverpool in Madrid. They lost, obviously, but the run was heralded as perhaps Pochettino’s crowning achievement in north London.
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But now serious questions have to be asked regardless of this weekend’s result.
What is happening with Eriksen’s future and will he be at the club for the resumption of the league? Why is Vertonghen out of favour? What is going on with Harry Kane, who has been execrable against both Manchester City and Newcastle? Is there still any hope of Spurs being involved in the title race?
The irony is that a loss this weekend would almost certainly answer the latter question and increase the feeling that something is dreadfully amiss at Spurs, but a win would do no such thing; it might alleviate the pressure a little, at least until Spurs face Palace on September 14th, but it would not do much to reassure supporters that all is rosy.
It would be instant catharsis, of course, especially given that they haven’t won a league fixture at The Emirates since 2010, but then Pochettino would go straight back under the microscope.
It is a catch-22. Even if Spurs win, Pochettino can’t.
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