“Favoritos” that is what Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side are when they arrive at Old Trafford this weekend. Both teams may have finished on a high in their respective European campaigns but that still doesn’t take their focus of the Premier League where they have struggled in their own peculiar way.
The league table is a stark reminder of that as Manchester United find themselves 6 points behind their visitors and anything less than a victory will see them drift even more apart from the Champions League places.
For much of the campaign, both teams have stuttered when it comes to scoring goals with Spurs having scored 19 while their hosts have only scored 20. Between themselves, they have already played out 6 draws each this campaign and it will be interesting to see how both teams line up.
#1 Spurs have their goal scoring boots on
In their last two games across all competitions, Spurs have scored 8 goals. Last weekend they whipped basement boys, Swansea City 5-0, before continuing their scoring run against CSKA in Europe. After scoring 8 goals in their most recent fixtures, Spurs do possess the edge when it comes to taking their chances.
United, on the other hand, have been threatening but have been unable to find the net often. The talismanic Swede, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has led from the front and barring him, the others haven’t been scoring.
The Swede has scored 8 goals for the Red Devils this term and his sublime lob to give the lead against Everton last weekend proves that the Swede can turn it on when the situation demands it. However, he has been asked to do too much at times and it will be interesting to see how Mourinho gets the best out of him without running him into the ground.
Spurs, on the other hand, will hope their attacking trio of Son, Kane and Eriksen are on target once again. Spurs will be aware of United’s failure to find the back of the net on a consistent basis and will aim to score at least a couple if they are to entertain any hopes of a famous away victory.
#2 Mourinho’s aggression makes Pochettino look like a sage
The Portuguese manager’s mood has not been the best this campaign and the late goal conceded by his team last weekend only worsened things. Mourinho walked out of the press conference quickly and it seems his relation with the press is getting tenser.
Mourinho, who only a few years back could charm the press with his witty quotes and wry comments, now has taken a sudden aversion to them. While it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of such behaviour, one hopes favourable results will liven up the Portuguese’s mood.
Pochettino, on the other hand, has exuded calm ever since his arrival at Spurs. And even after Spurs dropped out of Champions League, the Argentinean was quick not to press the panic button. His pragmatic assessment of the defeat against Monaco said it all as he was quick to take the blame for his team’s shortcomings on the night. This show of faith, in fact, has encouraged the squad to give their all for their manager.
And the performance of the Spurs team has turned a corner as was evident in their display against Chelsea. Since that defeat, Spurs have played with more ferocity and shown more venom and are slowly getting in the groove.
#3 Old Trafford isn’t formidable for Spurs anymore
Since 2011, Spurs have actually done pretty well during their visits to Old Trafford. Spurs have picked up 2 wins in their last 5 visits which says a lot about this evolving Spurs side. There was a time when a visit to Old Trafford meant that Spurs would toil and toil before slipping to an inevitable defeat.
In Ferguson’s Premier League era, United won 28 out of a possible 40 games be it home or away, and one would have been hard-pressed to call Spurs a challenger when they faced Ferguson’s Manchester sides.
In fact, the visit of Spurs was best summed up in Roy Keane’s autobiography where he wrote, “It was Tottenham at home, I thought please don’t go on about Tottenham, we all know what Tottenham is about, they are nice and tidy but we’ll f****** do them.”
However, this new Spurs side is different to its predecessors. Pochettino has done well to build the mental toughness of the Spurs side, and while the team is still a young one, one can see the resilience which has led them to be defeated only once this campaign in the Premier League.
#4 Can Mourinho combat Pochettino’s high press?
Spurs were the better and quicker side on their last visit to Manchester this campaign as they harrowed and harried Guardiola’s Manchester City. Mourinho can expect more of the same pressing and attacking that served Spurs so well and will hope for a better result, given that Spurs blanked City 2-0 on the day.
Spurs have also turned up against the big sides with intent to compete, rather than wait and watch, which makes them a threatening side. In their big games against Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal (teams which are in the top 4), Spurs have picked up 2 draws and a win and a solitary defeat against Chelsea (a game in which they convinced).
In comparison, United against the same opposition have drawn two and lost two, which doesn’t reflect well on Mourinho. Given that the game is a home tie, it will be interesting to see how Mourinho sets his team-up and how he combats the high-press. The Portuguese manager will be under pressure to set his team up in an attacking manner.
The only question is whether it will be enough to upset Spurs’ rhythm or will this play into Pochettino’s hands.
#5 Champions League aspirations means more pressure on Red Devils
Last campaign, United were better off by 5 points at the exact same stage, whereas Spurs are 3 points better this campaign. In the end, though, Spurs finished 4 points ahead of United to earn a place in the Champions league.
From title contenders at the start of the season, United are fighting it out for the Champions League places contenders, that too early in the campaign. While it is still too early to judge Mourinho’s side, the lack of positive results is slowly starting to play on the players’ minds.
The exasperation of Andre Herrera was evident in games against Stoke and West Ham where United dominated from start to finish only to end up with a share of the points with their respective oppositions.
United have dominated opponents by keeping possession for a large period of the game at home this campaign and Mourinho will hope that this domination comes to fruition when Spurs visit this Sunday. Spurs have always been opponents who tend to encourage United’s attacking style and the Portuguese manager will hope the most important stat of goals scored can be addressed come this weekend.
