Gary Neville believes that Tottenham deserve “great credit” for how well boss Mauricio Pochettino has done without no investment in the squad.
Spurs have failed to spend any money on bringing in new players during the last 18 months, however, despite zero investment during this time, Neville thinks it is “outstanding” for the club to be where they are right now, especially with the number of injuries that they have had too.
The Sky Sports pundit added that he would be astounded if Tottenham win their game in hand, where a win would put them just two points below Manchester City.
“It was a bit of a struggle for Tottenham against Leicester on Sunday. They got the late goal which flattered them a bit, but with the injuries they have got and the challenges they have got it’s such an outstanding performance from the players and Mauricio Pochettino to be where they are,” he told Sky Sports.
“Tottenham will be two points behind Manchester City if they win their game in hand, which is incredible with no money spent.
“Look at the depth of the City squad and the riches of the squad, then you think what Mauricio Pochettino is achieving with a squad that hasn’t had any investment in the last 18 months. They deserve great credit.”
OPINION
Neville is right – the way Pochettino has gone about things with zero investment recently is quite remarkable when you think about it. Tottenham’s rivals have invested heavily in their squads in recent times, but based on the current standings, that does not always guarantee you success. Spurs have shown that if you have a good enough squad, then there is no need to sign players just for the sake of doing so. They have had their fair share of injuries that could have seriously derailed their success this season – such as Harry Kane and Dele Alli, as well as the absence of Heung-min Son at the Asian Cup – but Pochettino dealt with these blows in the best way that he could, and Spurs still managed to keep pace with everyone else. They are now third even without Kane and Alli, and that is quite astounding. Spurs deserve huge credit – just as Neville has pointed out.