Ever since their 2-0 dismantling of Manchester City at White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hotspur have been treading water in the Premier League.
Spurs have drawn all three of their matches since, against opposition they should really be beating.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side couldn’t break through the stubborn defences of West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth and were also unable to hold onto a 1-0 lead against champions Leicester City.
While they are by no means a team in crisis – they are still the only side unbeaten in the Premier League and also boast the best defence – they are failing to win too many games.
They suffered the same problem last season as they picked up a lot of draws to lose ground in the title race before eventually finishing behind north London rivals Arsenal by a point.
If things don’t change soon then the same will happen again…
WITHOUT KANE, WHERE ARE THE GOALS?
Spurs were very unlucky to lose their talisman and last season’s top scorer Harry Kane to an ankle ligament injury.
It looked as though they were coping well, with Heung-min Son’s genius helping to get them past Middlesbrough while a great team performance allowed them to defeat Manchester City.
Since then the goals have dried up. When Man City were without Aguero they managed to win all three matches – coping with injuries is a sign of champions and at the moment Spurs seem some way off.
WHO DOES POCH PREFER ON THE WING?
For a couple of seasons now the Spurs midfield has been a minefield.
The midfield pivot seems relatively settled, with Mousa Dembele partnering one of Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier, however, the attacking slots are less clear-cut.
Dele Alli seems to be first-choice in the ‘No.10’ role while Christian Eriksen is on the left. The real question is whether Poch will opt for the attacking threat of Son or the more defensive Erik Lamela once Kane returns.
CAN THE DEFENCE COPE WITHOUT ALDERWEIRELD?
Spurs had the point best defence last season and have started this campaign in a similar fashion.
Poch’s boys have only let in five goals in ten games in the Premier League, much in part due to the fine work of the imperious Toby Alderweireld. Unfortunately, the Belgian got injured against West Brom and is a doubt for the weekend.
Tottenham conceded not long after he’d been taken off injured against the Baggies, while they also couldn’t keep out a Leicester City team who hadn’t gained a point away all season. If Alderweireld is out against Arsenal too, they need to tighten up.
HOW WILL THEY RESPOND TO EUROPEAN DISAPPOINTMENT?
Wednesday night’s 1-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen was a major setback for Spurs’ European challenge.
The result puts Spurs third in the group with a worse head-to-head record than the German side.
It also means they’ve lost both of their matches at Wembley – an unwanted statistic that will do nothing for their morale.
Arsenal are flying high after coming back from two goals down at Ludogorets Razgrad on Tuesday, so how Spurs react to defeat will have a big say on Sunday’s final score.
