We are facing what will be one of the more competitive league seasons in recent memory and also have to juggle Champions League football, which will be difficult and demand our best XI every time out in order to assure qualification for the knockout phase (it's very important to note that only days after 4 of our CL fixtures, we play United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal respectively). Looking at our attacking depth these first three games raises serious alarm bells. Pochettino has not had Chadli or Njie on the bench even once thus far. It's seeming as if both will be sold. Furthermore, I was a bit stunned to see Heung Min Son not even get a minute of playing time today in a match where our usual attacking three of Dele, Eriksen and Lamela were so off. Son should be more match fit than anyone in our squad, as he's played 4 highly competitive Olympic games already. Onomah and Winks came on before him in a match where we were chasing the winning goal at home. When coupled with speculation of a potential transfer, his disastrous Olympics experience, and his desire for first team football, that does not portend well for his future at the club in my opinion.
Now, a lot of people are calling for Eriksen and Dele to be dropped, as they've undoubtedly been poor in the first three games. But for Pochettino to do that, he has to have some confidence that their replacement has it in them to be a major fulcrum of our attack that can press effectively, while also creating and scoring goals. Outside of Janssen, who may end up starting half the time anyways, it doesn't seem Pochettino has any faith in any of the other attacking players at the club at the moment. Poch even signaled in his press conference that the club need reinforcements in the attacking third.
Okay, so we know we'll sign Nkoudou, but he's not had any type of serious pre-season or played in any competitive games since May and like Njie before him, is a bit of a speculative punt coming off a worse season at Marseille than Njie had at Lyon the year before. I would be surprised if Pochettino felt comfortable enough to start him in PL or CL games between September to December. He also has to settle into a new country and fit into a new system of football.
The importance of our attacking three cannot be underestimated. They are the key to the high press and tend to be the ones who log the most kilometers per match in the side. There's no way we can play Eriksen, Lamela and Dele 40+ games each and have them at their best. Furthermore, we need depth not only to cope with 4 competitions, but to mitigate damage from potential unforeseen injuries. Last season we were incredibly fortunate to have a fairly healthy squad. When players like Dembele and Alli missed out due to suspension, our results suffered. It's not incomprehensible that players coming off of summers of lots of football, hard training sessions, and lots of first team football will eventually pick up injuries. So, we have to be prepared for that as well.
Fortunately, we still have a few days left in the transfer window. One thing I'd say is that I actually don't want to see either Chadli or Son sold at this stage. They both have a lot of talent, can score goals, and are seemingly well liked within the squad (I totally don't get why Chadli hasn't been on the bench at least, even if he'll be sold eventually).
I still think, despite poor performances thus far, that our core XI from the end of last season, plus Wanyama, are good enough to push anyone in the league. It's the depth, especially in comparison to our rivals, that is worrisome at the moment.
Now, a lot of people are calling for Eriksen and Dele to be dropped, as they've undoubtedly been poor in the first three games. But for Pochettino to do that, he has to have some confidence that their replacement has it in them to be a major fulcrum of our attack that can press effectively, while also creating and scoring goals. Outside of Janssen, who may end up starting half the time anyways, it doesn't seem Pochettino has any faith in any of the other attacking players at the club at the moment. Poch even signaled in his press conference that the club need reinforcements in the attacking third.
Okay, so we know we'll sign Nkoudou, but he's not had any type of serious pre-season or played in any competitive games since May and like Njie before him, is a bit of a speculative punt coming off a worse season at Marseille than Njie had at Lyon the year before. I would be surprised if Pochettino felt comfortable enough to start him in PL or CL games between September to December. He also has to settle into a new country and fit into a new system of football.
The importance of our attacking three cannot be underestimated. They are the key to the high press and tend to be the ones who log the most kilometers per match in the side. There's no way we can play Eriksen, Lamela and Dele 40+ games each and have them at their best. Furthermore, we need depth not only to cope with 4 competitions, but to mitigate damage from potential unforeseen injuries. Last season we were incredibly fortunate to have a fairly healthy squad. When players like Dembele and Alli missed out due to suspension, our results suffered. It's not incomprehensible that players coming off of summers of lots of football, hard training sessions, and lots of first team football will eventually pick up injuries. So, we have to be prepared for that as well.
Fortunately, we still have a few days left in the transfer window. One thing I'd say is that I actually don't want to see either Chadli or Son sold at this stage. They both have a lot of talent, can score goals, and are seemingly well liked within the squad (I totally don't get why Chadli hasn't been on the bench at least, even if he'll be sold eventually).
I still think, despite poor performances thus far, that our core XI from the end of last season, plus Wanyama, are good enough to push anyone in the league. It's the depth, especially in comparison to our rivals, that is worrisome at the moment.
