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Tottenham Hotspur Fan View: Bring on the Saints

Steve Towells
Harry Kane on the hunt for more records against Southampton on Sunday
Harry Kane on the hunt for more records against Southampton on Sunday

Pellegrino under pressure

It’s difficult to underestimate the psychological damage last week’s result at Vicarage Road would’ve caused Southampton. In normal circumstances, an away draw to a hardworking, intermittently excellent Watford side constitutes a fine afternoon’s work. Marco Silva has failed to get the best out of his charges in recent times, but there’s no shortage of quality in that team.

Richarlison can be unplayable when he’s in the mood and Abdoulaye Doucouré genuinely wouldn’t look out of place in the midfield of a top six side.

But the Saints threw it away. 2-0 up and cruising, thanks to a neat double from James Ward-Prowse, this should’ve been just the antidote for Mauricio Pellegrino and his struggling south coasters.

To lose two points is bad enough—oh how they needed those—to concede such a controversial late equalizer is downright brutal. Doucouré stopped just short of catching the ball en route to his seventh League goal of the season, but it was as barefaced a handball as you could hope to see.

As a result, Southampton hover just a point outside the relegation zone and in serious trouble.

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Kane on the 100 hunt

Things don’t get much easier this weekend. It seems like only yesterday that Harry Kane was terrorizing the Saints’ backline at Wembley, on his way to breaking the calendar year goal scoring record. Boxing Day to be precise, but still fresh in the minds of the Premier League’s 6th most porous defence.

Kane is on the quest for more records on Sunday— it’s becoming quite the habit. The England striker is now on 98 Premier League goals. No player has ever broken into the 100 club for Spurs (Defoe, Ferdinand, Sheringham, Keane, Bent and Crouch all have across multiple clubs) and it’s surely only a matter of time before he reaches the milestone.

We’re pushing into really exalted company now. Kane is chasing down Premier League legends Matt Le Tissier (102) and Didier Drogba (104). He’s not 25 until July.

Injury news

While the rest of the squad will have felt the invigorating effects of some sun-baked training sessions in Barcelona this week: for Harry Winks and Danny Rose, the recovery continues at home.

Both are now expected to be sidelined for the remainder of January, with their respective ankle and knee injuries.

There’s good news on the Toby Alderweireld front, however, who also didn’t travel to Catalonia. Those in the know have penciled in Liverpool away as a potential return date for the imperious Belgian.

Beautifully timed, as ever, Toby.