Van der Vaart makes Spurs top four prediction – Urges Levy not to rehire Pochettino
Rafael van der Vaart has predicted that Tottenham will finish outside the top four this season but he urged the club to stick with Antonio Conte rather than rehire Mauricio Pochettino. Van der Vaart described Spurs following up their win over Manchester City with a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Leicester City as ‘typical […]
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Rafael van der Vaart has predicted that Tottenham will finish outside the top four this season but he urged the club to stick with Antonio Conte rather than rehire Mauricio Pochettino.
Van der Vaart described Spurs following up their win over Manchester City with a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Leicester City as ‘typical Tottenham’, insisting that the Lilywhites are still unable to make the final step to compete with the big boys.
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The former Spurs midfielder told Ladbrokes (as relayed by Football.London): “Saturday’s performance and result against Leicester was typical Tottenham.
“They want to take the next step and join the big boys as a top-four club, they have the money and the manager to do so, but they’re struggling with the really small steps. They’re struggling to overcome them and treating them like really big steps.
“It’s not normal for a team to go and beat the best team in the league without conceding, and then lose the next game 4-1 to Leicester City. Top, top teams don’t do that. The same can be said for their season as a whole, actually; it’s typical Tottenham.”
Van der Vaart pointed out that as opposed to the Spurs team he was part of, who played entertaining football, Conte’s sides are only focused on getting results, but they still struggle to do so consistently.
He continued: “When I look at this team right now and compare it with the side I was in for two years, we really tried to play football and entertain our supporters; we wanted to give them amazing games to come and watch.
“Now, they’re so focused on results, results, results, and they’re still not in the top four.
“They can play so much better than we’ve seen so far. They have great players, great quality all over the pitch, but they struggle to create against the smaller teams, and that’s a big issue.
“Against the teams near the top of the table, they can be patient and catch them out on the counter, but when they come up against the smaller teams, they have a lot of problems.
“I think Tottenham will finish fifth this season, exactly where they are now. They’re already getting nervous, and those teams above them are just getting better, especially Manchester United.
“There’s quite a gap between Tottenham and sixth, but I think they can think themselves lucky that Liverpool and Chelsea have had really bad seasons. You never know, but I can only see them finishing in fifth.”
However, the Dutchman admitted that he wants to see Conte given time, particularly since the top players at the club have bought into the Italian’s vision.
He said: “I really hope Antonio Conte is in charge next season. He comes across as a really nice guy and you can see the players want to run through fire for him, and that’s a massive thing.
“When you see how someone like Harry Kane talks about him, I think it tells you all you need to know… he speaks so highly of him.
“All of the players will want him to stay, but at the end of the day, if you’re not in the top four, he’s not going to be there next year. That’s part of football.”
Some sources have suggested over recent weeks that Tottenham will turn to Pochettino if they part ways with Conte (The Sun’s Martin Lipton – Off The Ball) but Van der Vaart believes that the North London club will be making a mistake by reappointing the Argentine.
When asked about Pochettino potentially returning to N17, the 40-year-old responded: “I don’t think it’s wise for managers to return to clubs, so while I know Mauricio Pochettino’s name will often get linked with the club, were Conte to leave, I don’t think it would be a good idea, necessarily.
“Look at Jose Mourinho and Chelsea, for example; he was fantastic in his first spell but when he returned, things didn’t go so great. When Conte leaves, the board need to find time to identify the right replacement… but I don’t think it’s Pochettino.”
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I have to admit that my keenness for Pochettino to return comes out of emotion than reason. While I am not dead set on having the Argentine replace Conte, what I would like to see is for the club to return to its ethos by appointing a forward-thinking and adventurous manager.
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