Tottenham Hotspur vs Swansea City – Preview

Three days after our cup final defeat, the pain continues to linger in the hearts of fans far and wide. We weren’t awful against Chelsea; we just weren’t particularly good though.

This isn’t the end, though. If anything, Tottenham Hotspur are on the up. We have a great young manager, a youthful first team, and a new stadium on the way- what’s the hurry?

The determination even after the final whistle was admirable, with Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Kane declaring we will be back at Wembley.

On the flip side, some are bemoaning that our season is effectively over- why? Who knows what will happen in these last few league games? Whilst we’re outsiders for a top four finish, it’s not impossible at all. Even if we don’t achieve such a finish, it wasn’t our season objective, so no-biggy in that department.

We should be thankful that our season hasn’t been too transitional (remember last year?). For the first time in a while, we look to have discovered a blueprint for the future.

Spurs return to league action vs Swansea, who sit four points behind us in the table. Immediately, we look at that and think Garry Monk’s side can move within a point of ourselves, and, as Spurs fans, this is the expected reaction. Considering we haven’t won a single win since triumphing in the North London derby, the Swans should head to the Lane brimming with confidence.

History doesn’t stand in their favour, though. In Swansea’s entire history, only once have they left White Hart Lane as the victors- back in a 1978 League Cup tie. In the Premier League era, they’ve only scored once in this fixture, when Gylfi Sigurdsson bounced a half-volley into Brad Friedel’s net in 2012- the Icelander returns to Spurs for the first time since his summer move back to South Wales.

A lot has changed since this same fixture last season. In August 2013, both ourselves and Swansea were preparing for promising seasons under Andre Vilas-Boas and Michael Laudrup respectively- both left that very same season. A Roberto Soldado penalty separated the sides that time around, with this going on to become a cliché. When we met back in December, Christian Eriksen settled the game late on, which in turn has become this season’s cliché.

Ahead of our game with QPR on Saturday and coming off the back of a gruelling schedule, I expect Poch to slightly rotate our squad in tonight.

At the back, Vlad Chiriches, Federico Fazio and Ben Davies could be handed chances to prove their worth. All three have fallen out of favour, and with no further cup games this season, this could be their last opportunity to impress the boss.

In midfield, Ryan Mason could be rested after another tireless shift at the weekend, with Benjamin Stambouli looking to break back into the first eleven. Nabil Bentaleb proved on a global stage on Sunday just how important he is to the team, and looks set to continue in the pivot.

Erik Lamela turns 23 today, and could return to the starting line-up after being dropped for the League Cup final. Alongside him, Christian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli need to rediscover their form if we’re to challenge any further this season.

Up top, Harry Kane really is the only option, even if he did play all 90 minutes on Sunday.

Predicted XI: Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Bentaleb, Stambouli; Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane