With zero wins away from home in the Premier League since January and only nine victories in their last 28 overall, across all competitions, these are rough times for Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham Hotspur. In recent weeks we’ve seen Spurs both crash out of the EFL Cup in their very first match of the competition, and make the wrong kind of UCL history.
“It’s going to be a tough season, I told you that months ago,” Pochettino said yesterday, after Tottenham surrendered the most goals ever by an English side in a Euro match.
? March 2019:
Dele Alli challenges Tottenham to “make history” in their new £850m stadium.? October 2019:
Spurs become the first English side ever to concede 7 goals in a European game.Mission accomplished ? pic.twitter.com/pJroRf9ulg
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 1, 2019
What a difference a few months can make. Spurs were UCL finalists/runners-up in June. Now they’re a punchline.
“After the Champions League final it was a chapter closed and the club need to start a new chapter,” added Pochettino, who’s job is likely in jeopardy (if he doesn’t bolt first)
“This defeat is not going to change my opinion. You need to show your quality like a man first.”
Up next is a league fixture at lower table Brighton & Hove Albion. Let’s look at the team news for this one, starting with the Seagulls.
They are quite banged up in the midfield right now where Leandro Trossard, Jose Izquierdo and Davy Propper are all sidelined.
For Spurs, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon remain long term injury absentees while Serge Aurier is suspended for this one. Spurs have a ton of question marks right now, including a need to figure out who really wants to be there right now and who doesn’t. It appears that the Poch era may have peaked.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Kickoff: Oct. 5, 12:30 pm Falmer Stadium
THFC Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Form Guide: Brighton & Hove Albion- LDDLL Tottenham Hotspur- WLWDL
Google’s result probability: Tottenham Hotspur win 49%, Draw 27%, Brighton & Hove Albion victory 24%
Prediction: Brighton 2, Tottenham 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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