After matching the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool into the second half of the Premier League campaign and reaching the Champions League final, Mauricio Pochettino would have expected to close the gap on the club's rivals at the beginning of the new season. However, despite signing the likes of Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon, as well as retaining the services of Christian Eriksen, that is not how it has panned out. A winless run against Olympiacos, Leicester City and Colchester United - the latter coming on penalties in the EFL Cup - has left the Argentine questioning the mentality of his talented squad, while also suggesting in no uncertain terms that he plans to make changes during the January transfer window. Ahead of a crucial Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich at the club's new stadium, the supporters are growing increasingly frustrated, but their recent run could prove to be a blessing in disguise in terms of achieving their targets in Europe.
Just like you can when Betting at ComeOn!, Pochettino effectively finds himself in a position where he can attempt to reap the biggest rewards with relatively minimum risk. Most fans will feel that there has already been too many changes of system and personnel in recent weeks, sometimes just to accommodate certain players into the team. While Eriksen has undoubtedly been one of Pochettino's key men during his time in North London, the playmaker has got nowhere near to finding his top level since the beginning of August, arguably because of the disappointment of failing to find a fresh challenge elsewhere. The Denmark international has not necessarily been going through the motions, but his presence in the team has become more of a hindrance than a help, which should put Pochettino in a position where he can drop the 27-year-old without any negative ramifications.
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In Pochettino's defence, he may have continued to select Eriksen because of injuries to other members of his squad, especially to the likes of new arrivals Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon. However, their absences should not mean that Pochettino cannot progress this team forward, and a statement performance needs to be delivered against Bayern. There may be an acceptance that a draw against such high-calibre opposition will be deemed good enough, but this fanbase needs to see proof that their players have the passion and determination to win matches like the one on Tuesday evening, rather than not having the ambition to qualify for the last 16 as group winners.
Like Eriksen, Dele Alli has been a regular feature of Pochettino's setup since his arrival at the club, but the Englishman has also been far from his best since recovering from an injury sustained during pre-season. In the past, leaving each of Alli and Eriksen out of his first XI would never considered by Pochettino, but he has reached a point where he cannot have half-fit or half-committed players in his team. This feels like a time when each of them should be kept in reserve, with Lucas Moura being provided with the big stage which he arguably should have been given against Liverpool back on June 1. The fact that the Brazilian has only started two of Spurs' first half-a-dozen league games this season suggests that he continues to be regarded as the odd one out by his manager, but it is a stance which should categorically end for the showdown with the Bundesliga champions, even if it means conceding space behind him.
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