WHEN WILL IT EVER EIND?
No new players, no stadium, keeper in crisis & now Dutch side almost kill off Spurs Euro dream..
THE cracks have already begun to appear and they are threatening to undermine Tottenham’s season.
Mauricio Pochettino is facing Champions League exit from the group stage after a disastrous start to their European campaign.
It will also be tough for Tottenham to challenge for the Premier League title after failing to spend a penny in the summer to bolster a squad which fell short last season.
And even the fans are voting with their feet as, incredibly, tickets are still available in most sections of Wembley for what was supposed to be one of the biggest games of the season against Manchester City next Monday.
Spurs appear to be going backwards in the Champions League, with just one point from their opening three games.
Another bad European night at PSV Eindhoven left Pochettino facing the humiliation of playing in the Europa League when Tottenham’s new stadium at White Hart Lane eventually opens.
Sadly, the seeds of disappointment were sown in the summer when chairman Daniel Levy failed to make any signings while their title rivals all significantly strengthened.
Pochettino diplomatically paid lip service, insisting it was pointless to
make signings unless they could
improve the squad. But to swallow that line is naive and, in his heart of hearts, Pochettino cannot truly believe it either.
To stand still in the Premier League is to go backwards and, if they could not find a single player to freshen up the dressing room, then maybe that is a damning indictment of their recruitment set-up.
Now it is coming back to haunt them as, on the back of a gruelling World Cup for many of their players, injuries have been mounting with Dele Alli and Jan Vertonghen missing, Harry Kane in unpredictable form and Hugo Lloris – sent off in the 2-2 draw with PSV – facing a crisis of confidence.
Former Spurs midfielder and manager Tim Sherwood (left) insists Pochettino should prioritise winning a trophy and said: “The most important game of their season is in the EFL Cup next week because they have to win it to give the players a trophy and the supporters something to hold on to.
“The Europa League is often seen as a hindrance to your league position, playing on Thursday and again on Sunday, but I believe Tottenham need to get a trophy.
“But they might have to dip into the transfer market, if they possibly can in January, depending on where they are going to be.”
Tottenham keeper Michel Vorm, who will play against PSV in place of the suspended Lloris next month, said: “It felt like a defeat. We had to kill the game when it was 2-1. We had enough possibilities to score a third. We didn’t, they came back.
“I don’t know what the solution is, it’s a difficult one. We played very well. We just need to score more goals.”
They need the EFL Cup to give fans something to hold on to