OPINION
There can be no doubting that Spurs have had a dreadful run of luck when it comes to injuries in recent weeks.
The absences of Harry Kane and Dele Alli in particular have severely weakened their side attacking prowess in recent matches, and it is a testament to Mauricio Pochettino and his squad that they are still somehow second in the league.
Spurs managed to see of Newcastle United in a late 1-0 win on Saturday at Wembley, and Magpies boss Rafa Benitez took a wholly less sympathetic view of his rivals’ injury issues.
As quoted in the Chronicle, Benitez said: “I have to laugh a bit when they say they lose players to injuries because of the quality of the players they have to come in.”
The Spaniard’s dismissive comments on Spurs’ troubles suggest that he hasn’t bought into the narrative that Pochettino is working with his back against the wall, and perhaps reinforce once again that the manager doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
It’s easy for Benitez to say that Spurs have top quality players coming into the side, but the point is that the talent his opposite number has to call up upon are often far beneath the level of what is required of a title contender.
Sure, Benitez would love to have Fernando Llorente as his main striker for the Magpies relegation battle, but when you’re pushing for a title, plus three cups besides, is he good enough?
To an extent, the answer has been proven to be no, and while Benitez may take the moral high ground as the boss of a struggling team, it doesn’t negate the fact that Tottenham are having to operate with a threadbare squad that should be nowhere near a title.
Ultimately, Benitez looks like a shortsighted, sore loser.