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Tottenham news: Managing Dembele is Pochettino’s biggest challenge

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur and Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund battle for possession during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on September 13, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur and Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund battle for possession during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on September 13, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /
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Mousa Dembele’s health is a big issue for Tottenham

Not much has gone wrong for Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham this season. Unfortunately, the declining health of midfielder Mousa Dembele could be a significant issue at the club moving forward.

When the classy Belgian international is fit and firing, he’s one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. Dembele’s ability to break up play and carry the ball forward through traffic make him a nightmare for opponents. There’s a reason that multiple managers have relied on him to patrol the middle of the pitch for Spurs.

Unfortunately, Dembele hasn’t been available for a significant portion of Tottenham’s 2017/18 campaign. He’s suffered a variety of leg injuries that have limited his ability to train and play in competitive matches. Whether it’s been his hip, knee or ankle, his wheels have let him down.

His lack of availability puts Pochettino in a difficult spot. Even when Dembele is only playing at 80% of his capacity, he’s worthy of inclusion in the club’s starting XI. It’s almost impossible to tell whether or not he’s capable of that level of play though. Remember, his inability to train on a regular basis prevents the coaches from monitoring his health and progress. Pochettino is forced to take Dembele’s word for his capability on a day-to-day basis.

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As if that isn’t hard enough, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Dembele won’t train much even when he does feel good. At some point, the higher-ups at the club will elect to give him extra rest to maximize his ability to play in matches. His extra days off may not sit well with other midfielders who are forced to undergo the full brunt of Pochettino’s brutal training regimen.

It’s not as if Spurs don’t have credible options to replace Dembele either. Eric Dier, Harry Winks and (when healthy) Victor Wanyama are all capable of playing excellent football in the double-pivot. Leaving players like that out of the starting XI for an ailing midfielder is going to be tough for any of them to swallow.

Of course, Dembele is also a prideful player. He’s a Belgian international who’s going to want to play lots of football to secure his spot in his nation’s squad for Russia 2018. Dembele will be motivated to play even when he isn’t completely healthy to make sure Roberto Martinez doesn’t leave him out of his plans.

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Add all of these factors up and it’s easy to see that managing Dembele is going to be Pochettino’s toughest challenge of the season. Finding the balance between Dembele and his midfield peers could be the difference between silverware and frustration for Spurs.

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