Manny football folks are angry, or at least annoyed, by the flippant manner in which Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke of being eliminated from the FA Cup at the hands of Crystal Palace on the weekend.
It marked the second time in less than four days that Tottenham were dumped out of a domestic competition by a fellow London side, and afterward Pochettino had no time for platitudes, telling the media: “We are going to create a debate that to win a trophy is going to help the club … I don’t agree with that.”
“That only builds your ego. In reality, the most important thing is being consistently in the top four and playing in the Champions League.”
First off, kudos to Pochettino for telling it like it is, instead of just eschewing press conference boiler plate. Secondly, he’s right- the revenue earned from qualifying for and advancing through UCL is much greater than the prize money that accompanies the EFL Cup or FA Cup.
And given all that Pochettino has going against him these days, he needs to go all in on the Premier League top four race and UCL. Next up is a visit from Watford, and here is the injury and fitness situation for tomorrow night.
Striker Harry Kane, defender Ben Davies and midfielder Dele Alli all remain out for Spurs. Forward Son Heung-min, though, is back from international duty with South Korea in the Asian Cup.
Moussa Sissoko should now be in contention, having returned from the squad after a knee injury.
Meanwhile Watford will be at near full-strength for the trip to Wembley.
They are still without Abdoulaye Doucoure, who is expected to miss the clash due to a knee injury, but could still return next weekend.
Javi Gracia is expected to recall the most, if not all of the players that he rested in the FA Cup competition this past weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Watford FC FYIs
Kickoff: January 30, 8pm, Wembley Stadium
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur win 58%, Draw 25%, Watford win 17%
Odds via Odds Checker: Tottenham Hotspur win 7/10, Draw 3/1, Watford win 19/4
Tottenham Hotspur starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3, Watford 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.