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Tottenham trouble: Pochettino hints Spurs may miss another star at Swansea

By Rucker Haringey

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Mauricio Pochettino manager / head coach of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on March 10, 2018 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Mauricio Pochettino manager / head coach of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on March 10, 2018 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Dele Alli may not play for Tottenham at Swansea

Tottenham already know they won’t have Harry Kane when they take on Swansea this weekend in the FA Cup Quarter Finals. Unfortunately, it’s entirely possible that Spurs may not be able to count on Dele Alli during their trip to Wales either.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino dropped a major hint about Dele’s status against the Swans during yesterday’s press conference. The Argentine gaffer revealed his English midfielder was taken off against Bournemouth due to a tight groin. Pochettino went on to express concern about starting Dele against Swansea given his certainty that Dele would feature heavily for England during the International Break.

In an ideal world, Pochettino could force England manager Gareth Southgate to take it easy with Dele. Unfortunately, Harry Kane’s ankle injury negatively impacts Southgate in the same way it bothers Pochettino. Both managers will struggle to reform their respective attacks without the prolific striker at their disposal.

Pochettino would be wise to take the long view here. As much as Spurs fans (myself included) are desperate to see the club win a trophy, keeping Dele healthy for the long run must be the priority. Some Tottenham fans would give up a spot in next year’s Champions League for a FA Cup trophy, but I’m not in that camp. Keeping Dele fresh for the stretch run of the Premier League campaign is more important than scraping out an appearance in the FA Cup semi finals.

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If Dele stays nailed to the bench at Swansea, it will heap even more pressure on Heung-Min Son to anchor the Spurs attack. As it stands, he’s already feeling the weight of replacing Kane in the starting XI. Losing Dele would only add to the Korean attacker’s load.

It would also shift a great deal of pressure onto Pochettino’s attacking midfielders. Christian Eriksen, in particular, would need to make sure he’s in top form against the Swans. Players like Erik Lamela and/or Lucas Moura would also need to put in above average shifts. Replacing Kane and Alli isn’t something that any one player can do by himself. Instead, it will take a village.

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No matter who is passed fit enough to play at Swansea, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino will expect his club to get the job done. There’s no question that Spurs’ degree of difficulty would be raised considerably without Kane and Dele in the starting XI though. It may take a managerial masterclass by Pochettino to get his squad through to the next round.

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