Do Spurs have the stamina to fight on four fronts?

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LONDON, Dec 22, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur have had to cope with
the unwanted attention manager Mauricio Pochettino has received this week in
the wake of Jose Mourinho’s sacking with the Argentine now favourite to be
Manchester United’s next permanent manager.

Pochettino has enough to contend with in his current job over the next 10
days with Spurs facing four winnable fixtures, starting at Everton on Sunday,
that could propel them into the title race or limit ambitions to a top-four
finish for a fourth straight season.

After Liverpool’s win over Wolves on Friday, Tottenham trail the leaders by
nine points and second-placed Manchester City by five.

Yet, with Liverpool facing a tough run of festive fixtures with Arsenal at
home on December 29 followed by a trip to City on January 3, there could be a
chance for Spurs to cut the gap as they also face Bournemouth, Wolves and
Cardiff before New Year’s Day.

To do so, though, Pochettino will need to continue getting the maximum from
a squad that remains alive in four competitions despite being ravaged by
injuries to many of their World Cup stars, coupled with the lack of any
summer signings.

“The most important thing is the belief,” said Pochettino ahead of the trip
to Goodison Park.

“It’s difficult to translate to the fans or to the media the genuine belief
in the squad.

“Of course, all the names and players are very important but after that
it’s about the squad, about the collective, about the team.”

The trust Pochettino has in his players is a principal reason why he is so
coveted, not just by United, but also by European champions Real Madrid.

However, his failure to so far deliver a trophy in over four years at
Tottenham has put added onus on success in the League Cup this season.

– Stadium draining funds –

Spurs gained revenge on north London rivals Arsenal for a recent derby
defeat in the league on Wednesday to progress to the last four.

However, that means after four games in 10 days over the festive period,
Pochettino’s men could face a further seven games in January should they
avoid a shock defeat to Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup.

“If we want to achieve in the end a trophy or arrive in the top four or do
a fantastic job in the Champions League or the different cups, we need
everyone to be committed to the team,” Pochettino said.

The question remains how far that commitment can carry them and whether
this season will be their last chance for success under Pochettino.

The club expect to finally be able to open their heavily-delayed new
stadium early in the new year, but the spiralling costs of completing their
62,000 capacity home means Pochettino is unlikely to be handed funds to spend
reinforcing in January.

Instead, young players like 18-year-old Oliver Skipp, who made his Premier
League debut against Burnley last weekend, will be used to plug the gaps.

Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen are not expected to return from
injury before January, while Davinson Sanchez remains a doubt meaning left-
back Ben Davies could start for the third straight game in central defence.

“Some players are not available to play because they are injured or because
they need to rest because they are tired,” added Pochettino.

“(But) if you really believe, how we believe in our squad, you can do a
great job.”

The fear for Tottenham is that Pochettino has now done too good a job for
too long to go unnoticed.