It was another disappointing Saturday for Tottenham Hotspur as our penultimate Premier League game of the campaign against Bournemouth ended in defeat.
Despite a bright start and knowledge that victory would end the top four debate when it came to Spurs, two red cards later and having to play over 40 minutes with nine men was a step too far for an already seriously stretched squad.
The more pessimistic amongst the fanbase feel the wheels have fallen off, we’ve gone ‘Spursy’ and our campaign is now over – too knackered to come back against Ajax in the Premier League and will lose top four when we face Everton.
The more optimistic know there are questions to be asked, but it’s not over until the fat lady sings.
Speaking ahead of the game manager Mauricio Pochettino’s words probably take on even more significance now following the defeat, as I think everyone accepts the squad has been pushed past its limits given our injuries this year.
Sky Sports have Poch effectively demanding that the club now start acting like a ‘big club’ as we reset our targets after the return to White Hart Lane.
“I think we’re going to have time to talk. Now we’re so focused on trying to finish the season but if you ask me if we can repeat next season, I cannot guess. I said to you all that when we finish the season I think it’s a moment to close a five-year chapter, to analyse, to talk a lot and to give the real value of that period. It was amazing. The problem is, what do we want for the next chapter of the club? Now we’ve finished the training ground, finished the stadium, what does the club want to achieve in the next one, two, three, four or five years and what are the fans going to expect from the club?”
Poch went on to say.
“There are many things to talk about and put on the table. We cannot live like we have lived in the last five years – on the perception side and on the reality side. We achieved a lot of things. We overachieved maybe. Because of our ambition, the way that we work and many things we can praise, we’re here now in a very good position. But what next? We need to fight for big things, behave like a big club and do things properly.”
I doubt anyone would disagree – we’ll see the answer over the summer.