This time last year, you would have thought Louis van Gaal joining Tottenham at the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Dutchman had claimed we had already held talks with him about the role, and made it clear he wanted to manage a Premier League club for the 2014/15 season.
It seemed nailed on van Gaal would take the reins at White Hart Lane, with some fans prematurely giving him what now seems a stupid backing. When David Moyes was sacked as Manchester United manager, Spurs fans realised he probably won’t be heading to North London.
Instead, we were lumped with Mauricio Pochettino. Oh, what a sickening appointment that was.
Yes, that was obviously sarcastic. Whilst United and van Gaal’s season isn’t going as well as first forecasted, things are on the up in N17. We have a good, young squad, a fantastic manager with a working philosophy, and a new world class stadium on the way. In the long term, it’s an exciting time to be a Spurs fan.
Short term-wise, things aren’t too bad either. We’re three points off the top four, and we’ve responded magnificently to our cup final heartbreak two weeks ago.
Coincidentally, we play the current occupiers of 4th in Manchester United. The Red Devils have been out of sorts lately, winning just two of their last four, losing the other two. Often this season, United have been fortunate to win points, often relying on luck and even the unusual, despite playing like a League 2 side. Spurs, on the other hand, have been tenacious and deserving of our points.
Of course, like every match against a seemingly poor side, Tottenham fans can’t be blamed for their pessimism. For nearly ten years now, Spurs have been a top-end Premier League club, yet time after time, good work is ruined by one single lapse of form and concentration. If we’re serious about being top four contenders, we have to cut out those mistakes.
Fair play to Pochettino for making our side a more reliable and consistent one, and winning for the third year in a row at Old Trafford would be an unprecedented achievement. The momentum we could carry from this game could give us an edge over our rivals to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
A game with England’s most successful domestic side isn’t one to be feared anymore. Despite going 27 games without a win over United, we’re unbeaten in our last five with them.
The football there isn’t entertaining anymore either, and recently, it’s barely been efficient. We may not need to set out defensively, especially with Angel Di Maria suspended and Radamel Falcao horribly out of form.
The players’ first double training session since January took place on Tuesday, and it will be interesting to see what effect it has on the players. The line-up this weekend shouldn’t be as interesting though, as it’s expected Poch will continue to keep the same eleven (bar the exceptional Danny Rose coming back in for Ben Davies).
A defeat would surely end our hopes of a top four finish for another year. A win though, and maybe, just maybe, we could make the Champions League once again.
Predicted XI: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason; Townsend, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane
Sean Walsh
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