Former Scotland boss and current Sky Sports pundit Gordon Strachan has been raving over watching Tottenham play but says they need to match the “phenomenal” energy levels of Liverpool and Manchester City to keep in touch with the division’s top two.
Spurs currently sit two points behind second placed City ahead of their clash with Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, with Liverpool a further four points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s men.
Strachan revealed he was always excited to watch Tottenham play but insisted that those leading the charge on another level, especially when it comes to their energy and technique, and that Mauricio Pochettino needs to get to those levels to have any chance of competing with them.
He told Sky Sports’ The Debate (10/01, 22:00): “Pochettino is a wee bit different, he’s got a bit more power in his side. What he’s stumbled on, what he didn’t plan on having, is Harry Kane.
“They have this wonderful team. Harry Kane can step off and play magnificent passes, you’ve got Christian Eriksen. They’re one of my favourite teams to watch, I watch them and think: ‘I’m going to see something different today.’
“They’ve got real power as well. Everything’s going right for the team. The other teams, Man City and Liverpool, are taking up that energy level. That Man City Liverpool game, it was phenomenal. You really need to be a player with technique to be in that game, and you really need to be fit. That’s where these manager’s have taken these clubs.”
Opinion
On their day Tottenham are very entertaining to watch but the problem that the Lilywhites have is that they are not nearly consistent enough. The likes of Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen nearly always perform at their very best but the same cannot be said about a number of their teammates and that is why they are not currently among the top two in the Premier League. Are their energy levels really a problem for Pochettino? His side certainly do not have the same sort of dynamism among their ranks, the likes of Mo Salah, David Silva, Sadio Mane and Sergio Aguero able to create magic even when in full flow, so maybe there is a certain element of that which is lacking. However the likes of Heung-min Son and Dele Alli have the ability to cut defences apart with their own talents and it does not matter how energetic they are, so long as they can create chances for Kane to put in the back of the net. They are not out of this title race just yet.