After Tottenham fell to a shock 1-0 loss at home against Newcastle United, there were a lot of fingers pointed towards Mauricio Pochettino’s selection.
The Argentine once again chose to leave Christian Eriksen on the bench just like he did for the opening game of the season against Aston Villa.
Eriksen, who has one year left on his contract with the club, has been heavily linked with a move from North London with Pochettino himself admitting that he is unsure if the Dane will still be at the club beyond the European transfer window closing on September 2nd (The Sun).
Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has labeled the Spurs manager’s decision to leave the 27-year-old on the bench as strange and wondered why he didn’t opt to start him if he was prepared to bring him off the bench.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Redknapp said: “Pochettino left Eriksen out of the first game against Villa, and he turned the game on its head when he came on and they got the win.
“But then he leaves him out again against Newcastle at the weekend, it’s a strange one. Without Dele Alli, Eriksen is the only player Spurs have got who can make that final pass. Why was he on the bench?
“I know he wants to go, but while he’s there I’d still be looking to play him to win games. If there is a problem with him, why bring him on, just because you’re in trouble?”
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The 72-year-old compared Eriksen’s present situation to that of Luka Modric in 2011 and suggested that Pochettino can continue to trust Eriksen to produce the goods even if he wishes to eventually leave.
He added, “He doesn’t look like a lad who is going to cause a problem, does he? He’s come on and tried. He looks a good sort of boy to me.
“I had the same problem with Luka Modric when Chelsea came in for him, but he still played. Even though Chelsea were offering to double his money, he got on with it. He stayed, played and was fantastic.
“Eriksen looks the same type to me. He’s not a troublemaker, he’s a fantastic football and seems like a great lad.”
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Perhaps Pochettino didn’t wish to drop Erik Lamela after his goal and assist at the Etihad but his call certainly didn’t work. What’s more worrying is the fact that Jan Vertonghen, who has been one of our most consistent performers in recent seasons, hasn’t seen any Premier League action so far this season.
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