Paul Merson believes Tottenham’s recent lacklustre performances could mean that they struggle to overcome Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s resurgent Manchester United side on Sunday.
Spurs limped to a 3-1 defeat to Wolves jut before the turn of the year, and struggled to get past Chelsea in a tough 1-0 win in their last outing in the Carabao Cup, and ex-Arsenal man Merson believes that the Reds could capitalise on this relative dip in standards.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “If you’d have asked me two weeks ago I would have said United did not have a chance, not a chance. But having watched Spurs at Wembley against Chelsea and Wolves, United have every chance now.
“Spurs let a half-time lead slip against Wolves, didn’t have a shot on target in the second half and lost 3-1. Some put that down to tiredness but I’m not having any of that. Three days later they looked like the Harlem Globetrotters when they ripped Cardiff apart inside 20 minutes – they didn’t look knackered then, did they?
“Spurs have opened the door to United but I think both teams won’t be able to live with each other going forward. United are shockingly poor defensively, even the teams they’ve beaten recently looked like scoring every time they went forward.
“Sooner or later that catches up with you. I see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s winning start at United coming to an end but a great result for him at Wembley.”
Merson predicts that the match will finish in a 2-2 draw.
OPINION
Merson is right to predict a close match, but to suggest that Tottenham are enduring some kind of blip is a bit bizarre. Yes, Spurs were poor in the second half against Wolves, and yes, they struggled against Chelsea in midweek, but every side is allowed to lose from time to time, and Maurizio Sarri’s Blues aren’t exactly pushovers. United will represent a tough task for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, but Spurs are more than well-equipped to see off their visitors on Sunday afternoon. If they don’t, they can all but write off their slim hopes of a title challenge, and will surely be too far off the pace to catch the rampant Liverpool and Manchester City juggernauts. The Reds have looked impressive over their past few performances, but have yet to face a challenge as stern as Spurs, and it could all come crashing down for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Wembley.