Perhaps it is unfair to be too negative after a one-goal defeat on the road against a rival that sits in the top four, but nothing truly happens in a vacuum. Instead, Tottenham Hotspur took yet another loss this season, with Ange Postecoglou’s time in North London looking more and more likely to be over soon.
As has been stated ad nauseam, next Thursday’s Europa League resumption is infinitely more meaningful than a visit from Southampton on Sunday. However, one can imagine that what little supporter backing remains would evaporate for Postecoglou with failure against the league’s worst side, so the staff does not have the luxury of fast-forwarding ahead.
Tottenham Hotspur (t-14th, 34pts) vs. Southampton (20th, 10pts)
Date: Sunday, April 6
Time: 9:00 am ET, 2:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Peacock (US)
Southampton will be back in the Championship next season. 20th in goals scored, goals allowed, goal difference, and xGD is a bleak but representative picture of where this side is, and there are just not many positives to say about a club that has lost 24 of its 30 league fixtures. Saints did manage a draw against Palace on Wednesday, but that is about as bright as it gets.
Spurs won just one of four contests against the other two sides in the bottom three, Ipswich and Leicester, but were lethal in a 5-0 drubbing at St Mary’s in December. James Maddison’s brace led the way, with Heung-Min Son, Dejan Kulusevski, and Pape Sarr all getting on the scoresheet as well. That win was Tottenham’s first in four at the time, and perhaps history will repeat itself and end the current four-match winless streak.
Dizzying
Postecoglou has preached — and typically utilized — steady rotation since getting his roster back to mostly full strength, but went with just about his best XI against Chelsea. With Eintracht Frankfurt looming Thursday, and Southampton’s struggles, it would not be crazy to expect a variety of new names in the starting lineup this weekend.
I advocated for youth to be the priority in these lame duck run-in fixtures, but I do now wonder if the manager lacks incentive to agree. It is very likely Postecoglou may not return next season, so the value in him giving prospects playing time is minimal if he will not be the one able to benefit from their development in the future. I would still like to see Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Mathys Tel get some more minutes domestically this year, but that does not feel like a certainty.
Unleash
Three points will not make a difference for Tottenham in the end, and a win over last place means next to nothing, but man it feels like a convincing victory is simply needed right now. The escape against AZ Alkmaar was important, though more relieving than exhilarating, meaning the last truly impressive performance was over a month ago against Ipswich.
Southampton is terrible. The opportunity is there for a palette cleanser, giving the squad a chance to erase a bit of the negativity before the season’s (latest) biggest fixture next week. To me, that means getting the attack back on track and seeing multiple shots hit the back of the net; if that cannot happen against a team that has given up 17 goals in its past six matches then when will it ever?