How have Spurs changed since the 4-1 defeat at Eastlands back in October?
I’m not sure we have changed too much if I’m totally honest. We didn’t play too badly at Eastlands, 4-1 certainly flattered you and on another day the scoreline could have been different. We’ve been inconsistent all year, had some great performances and some bad ones, but we are a work in progress with a lot of young players and that is to be expected. I think you’ll see we have a settled team now which we didn’t then. The biggest difference is Kane, who didn’t get his first league start till November and that has balanced the side out nicely.
Who do City need to watch out for in Sunday’s game?
As mentioned above, Kane would be the obvious choice. He’s been our talisman, the guy we’ve turned to on so many occasions this season to rescue us and he cannot be ignored. However, for an outside-the-box choice, and a player you’ve been linked with recently, I’ll say Danny Rose. Danny was a much-maligned figure with our fans. He’s flattered to deceive and often been at fault for goals conceded. However all season he’s shown promise and since Christmas he’s been one of our best players. He’s a dangerous player coming from deep up the left and is a fantastic outlet for us. Beware of him overlapping Chadli and looking for Kane in the middle.
Where do you think City can target on Sunday in order to get the 3 points?
The right back position is certainly our biggest weakness, and this is including having Kyle Walker in the side. Kyle is actually out injured currently, which is no bad thing considering his poor form recently but this leaves us with a hole to fill and makeshift players filling in. Dier has performed admirably there but he’s not a right back, he’s a centre back, and you can tell when viewing. The other option is Vlad Chiriches who is equally out of his comfort zone and can be exposed if you put pressure on him.
Who could be key for City on Sunday?
The thing with City is you have quality all over the pitch so it’s hard to just single out one individual. If pushed though I’ll have to go with Sergio Aguero. He’s head to head with our boy Harry for the golden boot and he’s just a wonderfully gifted footballer. I love the qualities he brings and he wouldn’t look out of place in any side in the world. We need to be very wary of his threat because he seems to have our number and we can’t afford to give him a sniff.
Has there been any points where Pochettino’s job was ever really in danger?
Not at all in my opinion. I think the vast majority have accepted this season for what it is: a transitional year in which we need to give patience to a manager trying to implement his own ideas and tactics onto our team. We are at a stage where we need to give a manager time to develop and to improve our squad as rash sackings have proven to be counter-productive. Pochettino on the whole is very liked amongst the fans and everybody is wishing him success.
Have Spurs been able to properly replace Gareth Bale? Not in terms of ability, but in terms of significance to the team.
Tough one, ability wise of course not, he’s a once in a generation talent for a team like us. In terms of significance I think you’ve seen Harry Kane take on the responsibility and single-handedly win us points on his own, just like Bale did for us on so many occasions. We’re still coming to terms with the changes to our squad but with the youngsters coming through there are promising signs and hopefully soon we’ll be able to stop talking about Gareth and focus on our current heroes.
Finally, a prediction?
Pretty meaningless game for both, heart says 2-1 Spurs, head says 1-3 City. I’ll stick with the heart, 2-1. Kane, Aguero, Rose.
