Jamie Redknapp has insisted that Tottenham are not chokers after their weekend defeat at Burnley.
Writing for the Daily Mail, the pundit and former Spurs midfielder claimed Spurs’ loss at Turf Moor “was no surprise” following a series of underwhelming performances.
“After being talked up as title contenders, Tottenham’s defeat at Burnley was not a case of them ‘bottling it’,” Redknapp told the Mail. “This has been coming. Not since their 3-0 win at Cardiff on New Year’s Day have Spurs won convincingly in the Premier League.
“They have stumbled over the line against a poor Fulham side, scraped past Watford and Newcastle and only beat struggling Leicester 3-1 after Jamie Vardy had missed a penalty to make it 1-1.
“That they came unstuck at a resurgent Burnley was no surprise.”
OPINION
There was something so very “Tottenham” about this latest setback in their bid to establish themselves among the trio capable of winning the title. That Liverpool should stink out Old Trafford with their lack of creativity little over 24 hours later, and Manchester City would need penalties to beat Chelsea after failing to score over 120 minutes, does not let Mauricio Pochettino’s team off the hook. Having successfully negotiated the absence of Kane, in league games at least, the return of the forward from an injury to his left ankle featured, inevitably enough, a goal but also a defeat against a Burnley side who, while much improved, should still have offered little but stubborn resistance to a title-calibre team. Spurs undoubtedly punch above their weight as a club and a team, but their tendency to go missing just when glory is within their grasp is the biggest deficiency for Pochettino to address. His frustration at the final whistle on Saturday made clear he will know this better than anyone.