If Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino could turn back the clock, he might travel back 12 months. At this stage of last season, Pochettino’s team were flying, but a dismal run of just one win in 10 saw Spurs out of the Champions League and League Cup and seven points adrift of eventual champions Chelsea.
Autumn had begun in style for Spurs, who outclassed Manchester City 2-0 on October 2 to move a point behind the League leaders, but the international break disrupted their momentum and they did not win again until November 19 — a last-gasp 3-2 victory over West Ham.
Spurs laboured to frustrating draws against West Brom, Bournemouth, Leicester and Arsenal, while they were beaten 2-1 at Liverpool in the League Cup and gained one point from three Champions League games. Without the injured Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld, Spurs were short of creativity and a cutting edge and they scored just five goals from open play. Their form picked up from December but, for Pochettino, the damage was done. “In October and November we dropped a lot of points and it was difficult to catch Chelsea,” he reflected in May.
Spurs seek their first League win at Wembley against next-to-bottom Bournemouth on Saturday with an identical record to the same stage of last season — seven wins, two draws and a defeat from 10 matches — but they cannot afford another autumn slump.
The visit of the Cherries is followed by the Champions League fixture at Real Madrid on Tuesday. Spurs can play without pressure after winning their first two group games, but the double-header against the European champions, who visit Wembley on November 1, will be a barometer of their progress under Pochettino. Two defeats would leave their knockout hopes in the balance.
After returning from Spain, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool come to Wembley before Spurs travel to Manchester United and Arsenal in November. United have a five-point lead over Spurs and more dropped points would leave them playing catch-up again.
In Pictures | Tottenham train after international break | 11/10/2017
Spurs also host West Ham in the League Cup fourth-round and, before the November international break, face basement club Crystal Palace. Over the next four weeks, then, Spurs host the League’s two bottom clubs and play three direct rivals in a run that will surely determine whether the title or a place in the top four is the season’s aim. In the EFL Cup, they can take a step towards silverware, while the matches against Real are an opportunity to announce themselves as European heavyweights.
The clocks go back one hour at the end of this month, but Pochettino will be hoping that he is not again left longing to turn them back.
