talkSPORT host Adrian Durham has launched a blistering attack on Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the north London derby.
Tottenham lost 1-0 to Newcastle at the weekend and Durham has put some of the blame for the recent run of bad form at the manager’s feet, saying he’s creating a cloud of negativity at the club.
During the summer transfer window, Pochettino claimed his job title should be changed to coach as he had no say over transfers at Tottenham [the Sun].
Earlier this week he said his squad was the most unsettled it had been in the five years he’d been at the club, with the future of Christian Eriksen still up in the air [Football London].
Talking on Drive Time (talkSPORT, Monday, 6pm) Durham said, “If you go back to the tail end of last season, the last third, they’ve been absolutely rubbish.
“Pochettino has said the squad is the most unsettled since he’s been there. They just don’t look right. They don’t look anywhere near as good as they should be.
“Look at last season, they’ve been shocking. What on earth is going on at Tottenham Hotspur? In the last 21 games, all competitions, they have lost 11, they’ve only won 7 of those 21 games. I find that extraordinary.
“He’s a moaner isn’t he, honestly. Pochettino has never won a trophy in his life… Moan about the transfer window, moan about this, moan about that.
“If he is feeling that negative, just walk out, just leave, stop creating this negativity that the club doesn’t need.
“Pochettino was asked a question in his press conference about the space Newcastle were finding behind Sanchez… nothing seemed to be done about it by the manager. They were pedestrian, they were lethargic… extraordinary.”
Spurs in a funk
Tottenham are definitely in a funk at the moment.
Taking it back to last season, Spurs only won one of their last five league games and lost to Man City, West Ham and Bournemouth.
They didn’t really turn up in the Champions League final against Liverpool.
The start of this season has been no better, with just one win from their first three games. That was against Aston Villa where Spurs had to rely on two last-gasp goals from Harry Kane to get the three points.
They drew with Man City but were hammered on the pitch, with 30 shots to three in favour of Man City and 10 on target for City compared to just two from Spurs [Sofascore].
They lost to Newcastle without scoring at home, against a team in crisis with new manager Steve Bruce under severe criticism from fans about his lack of tactical acumen.
It’s early in the season but it’s almost impossible to see Tottenham competing for the Premier League title and another run to the Champions League final would seem unlikely.
That sets Tottenham on a course that could be seen as going backwards. It’s a worrying state of affairs for Spurs fans.