Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The gap to Chelsea at the top of the Premier League may still be seven points but you get the feeling that Tottenham have just found an extra step of momentum as they look to further erode the advantage that Antonio Conte’s men currently have. The reason for that may well be the manner in which they won away at Swansea on Wednesday. In the 88th minute it looked as if their title hopes were over but what a difference a couple of minutes can make.
Not only did Dele Alli break Swansea’s hearts with a late equaliser but Heung min-Son would break them just minutes later with a dramatic winner, while Christian Eriksen would rub salt in the wounds as he made it 3-1 deep into added time. That means it’s a third straight league win without Harry Kane and they will look to make it four in a row this lunchtime when Watford make the short trip to White Hart Lane.
In addition to that they could begin to make life even more uncomfortable for Chelsea as a win this lunchtime would cut the gap to just 4 points for a few hours at least what with The Blues not facing Bournemouth until later this evening. Tottenham though at this stage of the season can only do their bit as they look to not only find their extra legs in the race for the title but also look to solidify a Champions League place.
And Mauricio Pochettino would have been further boosted by the news that Harry Kane has returned from injury and will be in the matchday squad later today. The England international has recovered quicker than many expected and it is likely that he will start from the bench today with a view to leading the line against Bournemouth next week.
That sees the forward line once again well stocked but there are concerns as to who will be in goal for Tottenham with both Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm. Lloris missed the win over Swansea on Wednesday due to illness while Vorm picked up a knock during the game.
Should they both be unavailable then it would mean a debut would be handed out to 19 year old Pau Lopez, the Spaniard made the move from Espanyol in the January transfer window and many were surprised that he was ready to become a third choice keeper instead of aiming for a start elsewhere.
He probably did not plan to make his debut for the club this early in his career but Mauricio Pochettino does feel that he is ready to be called upon should that be the case. Fitness tests will be given to Lloris and Vorm before the game so the goalkeeping situation is still up in the air at the time of writing.
One thing that is not up in the air is the fact that Watford have been plagued by injuries, manager Walter Mazzari stated that he is missing ‘a whole defence’ going into Today’s game and that will make good reading for Spurs fans. Also former Spurs old boys Younes Kaboul and Etienne Capoue are set to miss out through injury.
Another player who is doubtful for the trip to White Hart Lane is that of Troy Deeney. The club captain has been showing signs of fatigue as of late and may well drop down to the bench to become more of an impact sub as the club look to build on two successive wins.
It’s been two home wins on the bounce for The Hornets in the past week as they made light work of Sunderland and held on against West Brom on Tuesday. It’s 6 points that have eased the pressure on Walter Mazzari but his job status beyond the end of the season still looks insecure.
Reports are that the Watford owners have not been too enamoured with Mazzari’s work this season and also the fact that he has not learned the English language is seemingly going against him, but with the club currently 10th in the table then the Pozzo family cannot have too many complaints as of late.
The section of the table between 9th and 16th is incredibly congested right now and Watford are perfect proof that you only need a couple of wins to completely change the complexion of your season, can they make it three wins in a row and seriously derail Tottenham’s title tilt?
With the manner in which Tottenham won on Wednesday night then you would have to feel that their tails are up, even more so with the news that Kane is in the matchday squad. Add that to Watford’s injury woes and it should be a routine home win. Here’s hoping.
