Tottenham talking points: Mauricio Pochettino must realise that Christian Eriksen has checked out

Dan Kilpatrick was at Goodison Park for Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Everton. Here are his thoughts following a match that was overshadowed by a horrific injury sustained by Everton midfielder Andre Gomes.
Not at the races | Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen
Michael Regan/Getty Images
Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP3 November 2019

Tottenham lose another lead

For the second weekend running on Merseyside, Tottenham failed to hold onto a lead, dropping more points and dropping further off the pace of the top four. with a 1-1 draw at Everton. A fifth consecutive season of Champions League football is already starting to look farfetched.

If last weekend's defeat was about Liverpool’s relentless quality, then Mauricio Pochettino could point to Heung-min Son’s controversial sending off as an explanation for the Toffees' 97th-minute equaliser, a thumping header by substitute Cenk Tosun.

Whatever the circumstances, the fact remains that Spurs squandered another position of strength – underlining their fragile confidence – and put in another below-par performance, deepening the sense of gloom surrounding the club.

They looked a team devoid of confidence and ideas, and there were more questionable decisions from Pochettino. On the plus side, Dele Alli, who opened the scoring with a low finish, and Tanguy Ndombele were encouraging but this was Tottenham’s 12th consecutive failure to win on the road. With visits to West Ham and Manchester United to come, their travels do not get any easier

In Pictures | Everton vs Tottenham | 03/11/2019

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Kane absence leaves Spurs toothless

Would all the Spurs-are-better-without-Harry-Kane truthers please stand up? The idea that Spurs are somehow more effective without their talisman has been semi-seriously floated but at Goodison Park it was easy to wonder if Kane is the only thing that’s been keeping them respectable this season. In the absence of the England captain, missing with a virus, Spurs were abject, waiting until the 63rd-minute to record their first shot on target – Alli's goal.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters
Action Images via Reuters

Pochettino opted for Lucas up-front, with Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son in support. There’s enough there to be dangerous but it was all so disjointed and Kane’s quality in the build-up and as a playmaker was missed just as much as his goal-threat. With Spurs so reluctant to lose, and therefore unwilling to take risks, they desperately needed their lethal marksman up-front. Without him, they went from average to well-below-average.

Son sending off ugly

Our sympathies belong to Andre Gomes, who, judging by Son’s reaction alone, suffered a horrendous injury after a late challenge by the South Korean . There is a legitimate question, however, over whether it was fair to send off the Spurs forward for the tackle. Martin Atkinson initially reached for a yellow card but seemed to change his mind when he realised the severity of the Portuguese’s injury. It was a tough situation for the official but then he should have been helped by the VAR.

Eriksen abject

Pochettino clearly doesn’t think Christian Eriksen has checked out but the Dane’s performance certainly suggested his head is already elsewhere, even if his body will have to wait until January or next summer to follow. Eriksen is still running – by the time he was replaced, he had covered more ground than anyone else on the pitch, 13.8 kilometres – but he did little else, and repeatedly gave the ball away, finishing with 71 percent passing accuracy. Distribution is, after all, supposed to be his strength. Spurs were missing Erik Lamela again but Pochettino continues to be reluctant to start summer signing Giovani Lo Celso, who played the final 30 minutes here. Surely the Argentine would be a more combative alternative to Eriksen at present, even if he is still bedding in at Spurs.

Alli getting back to his best

Pochettino boldly promised pre-match that Dele Alli would eventually recover his mojo and a second goal in three matches suggested it is starting to happen for the 23-year-old. Alli provided the game’s only real moment of quality, collecting Son’s pass, stepping inside a defender and coolly finishing into the corner.

Photo: PA
PA

Predictably, it came from a more central position after Alli spent the first half of the left of Spurs’ attacking quadrant. With Gareth Southgate watching from the stands, it remains to be seen if Alli has done enough to earn a place in the England squad on Thursday but his confidence is slowly returning after a difficult 18 months.

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