In today’s Tottenham Hotspur roundup, we take a look at what news has been doing the rounds for the Lilywhites. Mauricio Pochettino insists his side need time to rebuild, Tim Sherwood goes in on his former side, and the Argentine has told Daniel Levy to sell five senior players.
Pochettino insists his squad is ‘unsettled’
“When you have an unsettled squad always it’s difficult and you lose time, then you need time to recover the time you lose. That’s where we are. Maybe our performances are good but you need this extra, which is mental, connection. It’s energy to be all together, not to have different agendas in the squad.
“We are in a period where it’s a bit tough for us, but we keep working to find a solution. When this type of thing happens it’s about staying clear and fresh and calm. We’re trying to find solutions and we only need time.”
Verdict: As Pochettino has now been at Spurs for five years he is approaching a time where he needs to win a trophy. After just a few weeks into the season, the Lilywhites have now already fallen short of one trophy after an embarrassing defeat at Colchester in the League Cup – who are 10th in League Two, 70 places below them.
Not just does the result in midweek leave the Argentine red-faced, he now must think how he closes the gap on Liverpool who are already 10 points above Spurs, and after losing a two-goal lead to Olympiacos in Europe, he also cannot afford to lose the Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich next week, which in itself is a major task.
Indeed, Pochettino’s squad does look unsettled, but he is the manager and it is his job to glue them together. As much as he may try and push the blame off them, questions have to be asked about his start to the season, also.
Sherwood believes 3 top players will leave
Report: Former Tottenham manager Sherwood suggests the future looks quite bleak for his old side. He told The Debate (as cited by the Express): He certainly knows three of them are not [staying],” he said.
“By the looks of it, Christian Eriksen, [Toby] Alderweirld and [Jan] Vertonghen are going for nothing, which will hurt the club. It’s not good [for the dressing room]. But that’s the situation they now find themselves in.
“If they [three players mentioned] want a move to a bigger club, they’re going to have to perform and perform well. The onus is on them to perform now, and they’re all professionals.”I know Jan and I know Christian, and they’re good lads, you don’t have to worry about them, they’ll get their heads down and perform for the team.“But the team knows, and Mauricio knows, that they’re not going to be around next year, and maybe he’s looking at the long-term. But he should be looking at the short-term.”Verdict: Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen are all out of contract in the summer, with no reports as of now on a renewal for either of them.It is worrying times for Spurs, with Vertonghen the clubs most experienced outfield player on 289 appearances, whilst Christian Eriksen has been one of the league’s top performers scoring eight goals and assisting 12 last year, just as Aldeweireld averaged a 6.84 performance rating in the 34 Premier League games he played.Truthfully, in today’s market, Tottenham may struggle to replace someone of Eriksen’s ability without splashing the cash. And, going in for two defenders to build a partnership like the Belgian’s have over the years, may cost in excess of 100m.Pochettino insists Levy to sell five playersReport: The ex-Southampton manager has told the chairman Levy to sell Eriksen, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Danny Rose and Victor Wanyama, after the calamitous defeat to Colchester in midweek, reports Football Insider.Verdict: As alluded to earlier, Pochettino insists the squad is “unsetteld” and if this is the case, perhaps it’s time to sell. It does seem, as Sherwood said, that Eriksen, Alderweireld and Vertongehn will be departing on a free, however, to let other players go as well could be a bad decision.Wanyama may not be missed as he played just 13 times in the league last season. Although, Spurs may also lose Giovani Lo Celso, who is only on loan, which could create more of a gap within the team.Right now, if there is anything that Spurs lack, it’s squad depth. Harry Kane is the only recognised striker, the Belgian’s at the back with Davinson Sanchez are the only out-and-out centre-backs, whilst the sole alternative to Danny Rose is Ben Davies.So, selling players, especially in today’s expensive market, could be a bad idea without a replacement. Pochettino should consider keeping certain names and should most definitely not let them go on a free.
