Why Stoke City Represent a Touchstone for Tottenham's Premier League Season
Tottenham Hotspur meet Stoke City on Saturday in their antepenultimate fixture of the Premier League season.
The 2-1 home loss to Mark Hughes' side in November was a watershed moment for Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino—a realisation of what had to change for his team to get better following an inconsistent start to life in north London.
Saturday's renewal of hostilities with the 10th-placed Potters represents a similar, if less immediately consequential touchstone for Spurs. A match that, while not about effecting change so late in the campaign, will tell us something about where Pochettino's team currently stands.
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Rose Looks to Confirm His Burgeoning Status
For Danny Rose, the Stoke defeat was the nadir of his mixed form earlier in the season.
Shoddy work defending his flank for the second week in a row led to Tottenham conceding a goal, only this time they did not come back to win after Jonathan Walters made it 2-0 to the visitors. To compound matters, he suffered a rib injury late on, requiring lengthy treatment after the final whistle.
The injury meant Rose missed the following, post-international break fixture with Hull City. Ben Davies replaced him at left-back and impressed sufficiently to keep his place in league play until the end of the year.
The temporary shift to cover in the position was to be just what Rose needed. He got an opportunity again in January and, understanding he was not indispensable, has not looked back since, performing with greater focus, intelligence and an improved work ethic.
The improvement is such he is now reportedly generating interest from Manchester City and champions Chelsea, as well as Atletico Madrid, according to the Mirror's Dave Kidd.
Rose signed a new five-year contract with Spurs last summer, though, and going by recent comments to the club's website is still keen to repay that faith.
"I feel I’m doing well and that’s down to the gaffer and the chairman [Daniel Levy]," the 24-year-old said. "The club gave me a new contract at the start of the season and in that respect, I owe them a lot and I thank them for that."
Can Kane Finish His Name-Making Season on a High?
After scoring Tottenham's winner at Aston Villa and netting another away at Asteras Tripolis, taking his tally to 10 for the season, Harry Kane got his first league start of the season against Stoke. It was a tough afternoon for the striker, missing an early chance and left to fight for scraps thereafter.
Unsuccessful in relation to the match itself, the second-half introduction of Emmanuel Adebayor did work in Kane's favour. In comparison to Pochettino's previous first-choice striker, the Englishman looked far more determined to make an impact. It was the final bit of evidence the head coach needed to put his trust in Kane.
The player heading to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday has since repaid Pochettino's faith and then some. Thirty goals for Spurs, England recognition and the PFA Young Player of the Year award add up to an outstanding season. With just one goal in his last five appearances, though, Kane is suffering a quieter spell.
Starting with Stoke, the 21-year-old will be keen to show again why he deserves to be the main man in Tottenham's attack. Whether he has much left to give following his considerable efforts up to this point will soon become apparent against the tough, Ryan Shawcross-led defence.
Fazio and Vertonghen, Together Again
Federico Fazio and Jan Vertonghen centre-back partnership began in earnest in the wake of a particularly slipshod defensive showing against Stoke.
Notably shown up by the way Bojan Krkic so easily put them on the back foot for the Potters' opener, that day's duo of Fazio and Younes Kaboul were not stylistically compatible. Both too big and too lumbering for the Premier League's more nimble attacking opponents, the need for Vertonghen's surer groundwork was obvious. Most crucially, though, Kaboul's ineffective display convinced Pochettino the club captain was not playing well enough to deserve to continue starting.
Vertonghen and Fazio did enough against Hull City a week later to keep their places. The consistency contributed to Spurs' autumn-into-winter upturn in form, and it only stopped when the Argentinian got injured in January.
Fazio had to bide his time as Eric Dier got a run in his place thereafter. With the young defender recently covering at right-back, though, the former Sevilla man has been reunited with Vertonghen in the last three games.
One win, one draw and one loss has been the return during this period. Tottenham's final three games offer a valuable opportunity for the pairing to show Pochettino he can trust in them more regularly next season.
Fringe Opportunities
Mousa Dembele and Andros Townsend are available for selection after respective thigh and foot problems caused their absence from the Manchester City game. In and out of the team of late, their participation in Spurs' November encounter with Stoke was typical of the inconsistency that has permeated through each player's season.
Townsend earned a start after a leading role in the Europa League win over Asteras Tripolis. Quiet throughout Spurs' poor first half, he made way at the interval. It was not the last time he was the fall guy for the team's failings—see March's defeat at Manchester United—or the last time a hint of momentum was quashed—Townsend being dropped in April after a potentially galvanising goal while on international duty.
Dembele came on in the second half against Stoke but was unable to turn the game around. Like so many other occasions, the midfielder had moments when his talent shined through. But when Spurs needed a difference to be made, he was ultimately unable to provide it.
Pochettino may well hand one or both a start if he looks to change things up from the Man City game. But both Dembele and Townsend are among the players whose statuses and prospects are as up in the air now as they were six months ago.
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