Coming into this season, I felt that it was critical for us to get off to a strong start. This league is as strong as ever, and a slow start can snowball into a collective loss of confidence with an inexperienced side. In particular, the matches against Stoke and Leicester are ones that I thought we had to win to really get the momentum going. Unfortunately, we dropped points against both.
Now, the major reason why I believe the last two matches were critical for us to win (or at least take 4 points from) was because we have a very difficult stretch of games beginning in September, coincidentally when Europa matches begin. Considering all the angst supporters have over our transfer strategy and unsettled squad, the next 6 matches (all of which will have their own complications) will be one of the most important stretches of Pochettino's tenure thus far. Here's our upcoming schedule:
Everton (H): They played fantastic football last week away at Southampton. Their backline is very solid, have no weaknesses in their first XI, and are excellent on the counter. The atmosphere at the Lane next week is going to be tense, I feel, so dropping more points here against a direct rival (no Europa this season for Everton) is something a team hoping to finish top 6 can't afford.
Sunderland (A): They looked very poor the first two weeks, but I watched the latter half of their match today against Swansea, and they were very good. We drew there last season, so while a win should be the expectation, it's not going to be straight-forward, as they've made a lot of decent signings (Lens looked very good today).
Crystal Palace (H): They have looked very good these first three weeks. Cabaye has transformed their midfield, and they have lots of pace on the wings. We struggled against them last year, and they are much stronger now than then, so this is another very difficult game. Note that we have our first Europa group stage match the Thursday before this match.
Manchester City (H): The best team in the league, who will add two more top class players (Otamendi and De Bruyne) on top of their already elite squad by the time we play them. A draw would be an excellent result. I believe we'll also likely have a 3rd Round League Cup match the week of this match.
Swansea (A): For my money, they have been the second more entertaining team to watch so far this season. They didn't have Ki today at Sunderland, so they faded a bit late, but their first XI play outstanding football. They are exceptionally difficult to beat at home. Note that we have our second Europa group stage match the Thursday before this match.
Liverpool (H): They've done their business early and are on six point through two games. They also have a very difficult start to the season, but they have a much more seasoned squad than us. This game is going to be a huge one for us, as we have been throttled by them the last two seasons.
The reason why I spelled all of this out is to provide context for why some of us are seriously worried about the slow start to the season and believe we desperately need to get our business done as soon as possible to bring in 2-3 signings to balance the squad with a bit of experience and skill to weather the upcoming storm of difficult matches. These teams we are playing are full of quality, experienced players, so we shouldn't be expecting some of our younger players, with little to no Prem experience, to just debut and win us the points. We must do whatever we can to put together a complete squad as soon as possible, so that we can enter this early difficult stretch at maximum strength. Otherwise, the atmosphere around the club can revert to November 2013 very quickly.
Now, the major reason why I believe the last two matches were critical for us to win (or at least take 4 points from) was because we have a very difficult stretch of games beginning in September, coincidentally when Europa matches begin. Considering all the angst supporters have over our transfer strategy and unsettled squad, the next 6 matches (all of which will have their own complications) will be one of the most important stretches of Pochettino's tenure thus far. Here's our upcoming schedule:
Everton (H): They played fantastic football last week away at Southampton. Their backline is very solid, have no weaknesses in their first XI, and are excellent on the counter. The atmosphere at the Lane next week is going to be tense, I feel, so dropping more points here against a direct rival (no Europa this season for Everton) is something a team hoping to finish top 6 can't afford.
Sunderland (A): They looked very poor the first two weeks, but I watched the latter half of their match today against Swansea, and they were very good. We drew there last season, so while a win should be the expectation, it's not going to be straight-forward, as they've made a lot of decent signings (Lens looked very good today).
Crystal Palace (H): They have looked very good these first three weeks. Cabaye has transformed their midfield, and they have lots of pace on the wings. We struggled against them last year, and they are much stronger now than then, so this is another very difficult game. Note that we have our first Europa group stage match the Thursday before this match.
Manchester City (H): The best team in the league, who will add two more top class players (Otamendi and De Bruyne) on top of their already elite squad by the time we play them. A draw would be an excellent result. I believe we'll also likely have a 3rd Round League Cup match the week of this match.
Swansea (A): For my money, they have been the second more entertaining team to watch so far this season. They didn't have Ki today at Sunderland, so they faded a bit late, but their first XI play outstanding football. They are exceptionally difficult to beat at home. Note that we have our second Europa group stage match the Thursday before this match.
Liverpool (H): They've done their business early and are on six point through two games. They also have a very difficult start to the season, but they have a much more seasoned squad than us. This game is going to be a huge one for us, as we have been throttled by them the last two seasons.
The reason why I spelled all of this out is to provide context for why some of us are seriously worried about the slow start to the season and believe we desperately need to get our business done as soon as possible to bring in 2-3 signings to balance the squad with a bit of experience and skill to weather the upcoming storm of difficult matches. These teams we are playing are full of quality, experienced players, so we shouldn't be expecting some of our younger players, with little to no Prem experience, to just debut and win us the points. We must do whatever we can to put together a complete squad as soon as possible, so that we can enter this early difficult stretch at maximum strength. Otherwise, the atmosphere around the club can revert to November 2013 very quickly.