OPINION
If the talk going into Tottenham’s game against Bayern Munich last night – their second in 24 hours – was about whether Foyth would get the nod at right-back and how he’d perform, the conversation has now turned into whether Mauricio Pochettino is facing a mini-crisis.
When Kieran Trippier was sold and with no replacement on the immediate horizon, Foyth and Kyle Walker-Peters looked like they would battle to be the number one in that position next season.
Walker-Peters started the game last night (that Spurs went on to win on penalties after drawing 2-2 in 90 minutes) and put in a solid first 45 minutes, getting forward whenever possible. He might be green in terms of Premier League experience but he’ll be hoping his stars are aligning at the moment.
Foyth played the second-half and didn’t give such a great account of himself, leaving space behind that Bayern exploited to score their first goal of the game. And the youngster was taken down the tunnel on a stretcher after hobbling off the pitch in discomfort in the 77th minute.
#thfc Foyth being supported by two physios and struggling to put any weight on his left leg. Bad news for Spurs given the situation at right-back.
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) July 31, 2019
Pochettino didn’t give a positive assessment afterwards saying, “I will have to see the doctor but as Foyth left the pitch he said, ‘Gaffer I have tweaked my ankle’. We will have to see how bad it is.” [Guardian]
With speculation still surrounding the future of Danny Rose at the club after being left out of the club’s pre-season tour to Asia [Guardian] and Foyth possibly facing time out on the sidelines, Tottenham could well find themselves desperately light in the full-back positions.
And there are further tensions at the club, made public in a rant from Pochettino about not having control over transfers at the club. [The Sun]
With one week to go until the transfer window shuts and Tottenham’s opener just a couple of days later, it will be fascinating to see if Daniel Levy brings in reinforcements.
Without them, it seems a stretch to imagine Tottenham being able to mount a challenge to Man City or Liverpool.
You don’t have to look too far back to the days when Kyle Walker was still at the club and they seemingly had an embarrassment of riches in the two positions. Now, the full-back spots are looking like the biggest problem Pochettino will face next season.