Vecino blow for Pochettino
MAURO Icardi proved to be the train that Mauricio Pochettino’s cow could not see coming.
The Tottenham manager, his players and the club’s fans could only watch through their fingers at the moment of impact, the Argentinian smashing home a superb volley from the edge of the box with just four minutes remaining.
With the confidence of a badly needed three points – even a draw – at stake, the north Londoners tried desperately not to freeze in the dying minutes.
Midfielder Matias Vecino, however, landed another, devastating blow with a header past Michel Vorm in injury-time.
Pochettino’s defenders have lost their way with just one clean sheet in their past six matches.
Fair play to the Spurs manager for trying to take the heat out of his decision to axe Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier with that cow analogy in the build-up, which occupied more minds than it should have done over the past 24 hours.
It looked to have enabled the men who came in – Davinson Sanchez and Serge Aurier – to operate under less pressure against an Inter side who had won just once in their opening four Serie A matches.
In the end, however, the gamble blew up in Pochettino’s face. The Spurs defence were never comfortable and in the first half Jan Vertonghen argued with Eric Dier and the woeful Ben Davies as they struggled to cope with the Inter press. But Pochettino launched a staunch defence of his decision after the game, saying: “Why disrespect the players that are on the pitch? You can blame me and say, ‘Gaffer, you were so rubbish in your selection of the starting XI’. But please don’t disrespect the players, because it’s my decision.
“We have 25 players. And you ask me, with your question, that you can play only 11 and the other 13 or 14 are rubbish? Are s**t?
“Against Watford and Liverpool, [Alderweireld and Trippier] were on the pitch. They are easy targets. It’s easy to talk about the players that aren’t here [through injury] like Hugo Lloris or Dele Alli or Moussa Sissoko.
“When my decision is to play with an XI, you must respect my decision because I am the manager. You cannot disrespect.
“To be a player is so difficult and of course, for me, it is easier on the touchline. I don’t run. It is so painful to hear when some people are not here and you judge in that way and you kill players who give their best. It’s so unfair.
“I understand sometimes tough periods can arrive. And I told you after [the win at] Manchester United to be careful, and the tough period arrived. I tried to change that dynamic, but when the dynamic is not good the most important thing is to work harder than before and be strong.”
But Tottenham are in real trouble. Bereft of form and
confidence, they simply threw this away after working so hard to put themselves within touching distance of victory.
There can no longer be a debate about the need for Harry Kane to be rested. Pochettino has to bite the bullet and find a way to cope without his England captain for a couple of weeks. Can it really be that hard?
Kane missed a first-half chance he would have stuck away with his eyes closed with his battery at full power. Christian Eriksen was one of the few Spurs players to emerge with any credit. Shortly before the break the Denmark midfielder floated a superb ball over defender Stefan de Vrij to leave Kane in so much space he could have applied for planning permission. The England captain rounded the keeper but could not find the killer touch.
Eriksen bailed him out in the 53rd minute with a strike from outside the box that was deflected over goalkeeper Samir Handanovic by Brazilian defender Miranda. At that point Spurs looked to have it in the bag. But with five minutes left they lost their bottle. INTER MILAN (4-2-3–1): Handanovic; Asamoah, Miranda, De Vrij, Skriniar; Brozovic, Vecino; Perisic (Candreva 63), Nainggolan (Valero 88), Politano (Balde 71); Icardi. Booked: Skriniar, Perisic. Goals: Icardi 86, Vecino 90. TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Vorm; Aurier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Dembele; Eriksen, Lamela (Winks 72), Son (Moura 63); Kane (Rose 88). Booked: Vorm, Sanchez, Vertonghen. Goal: Eriksen 53. Referee: C Turpin (France).