Arsenal legend has ‘respect’ for Postecoglou project but says ‘Tottenham will crumble’ in the end

Bacary Sagna believes that Tottenham Hotspur will simply not be able to cope with the pressure of the Premier League title race during the business end of the season.

Hardly anyone, not even the most optimistic of Spurs fans, would have believed you if you had told them at the start of the season that Tottenham would be sitting at the top of the Premier League table after ten matches.

Opposition fans have been waiting for the bubble to burst and for Ange Postecoglou’s honeymoon period to come to an end but there is no sign of that happening, with the Lilywhites continuing to play like a side that believes they belong at the top table.

The general consensus among pundits is that Tottenham do not have the squad depth to challenge the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City (talkSPORT).

Will Tottenham be able to maintain this pace?

That is an assertion that Sagna agrees with, insisting that Spurs might not be able to cope with the increased expectations during the latter part of the season.

The Frenchman told Genting Casino (as relayed by DAZN): “I don’t think they’ll be champions. When you get to the last ten games of the season, the pressure is very different.

“We saw how Arsenal did brilliantly last season, but in the run-in to the end of the season, the pressure was different. I respect the project at Tottenham. They have a good coach and good players.

“The facilities at the club are top-class, but whenever you’re under pressure to win the title, the vibe changes. It requires a different mentality and the expectations change.

“At the moment, Tottenham are playing without pressure. It’s difficult when you are not used to playing every single weekend with pressure, that is what the top, top teams have.

“When the expectation ramps up at the end of the season, that will be a new challenge for a lot of these players. I don’t see them being able to handle that type of pressure.

“I also have doubts about some of their players. I expect some of them to have bad patches in the season, which will have an effect on their ability to win games.

“Tottenham will not crumble. They will have a great season, but I just don’t think they have enough to win the Premier League this season. This team will not fall apart, but I don’t think they are ready to go the distance.”

Spurs Web Opinion

There is no doubt that the pressure of a title race can be quite immense and we now have a very young squad who are not used to coping with that level of expectations.

However, we do have a manager in Postecoglou who knows how to deal with the expectations of having to win every game, having done so in Australia, Japan and Scotland.

Having said that, it is clear that Tottenham fans do not expect a title challenge this season and that most would be over the moon with a top-four finish.