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Tottenham should worry more about Wembley than Bournemouth

By Ryan Wrenn

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City at Wembley Stadium on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City at Wembley Stadium on September 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) /
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There remains little substance to the idea that Tottenham are somehow unable to play on Wembley’s pitch, but it will be the first thought on everyone’s mind when Bournemouth show up on Saturday.

Tottenham have yet to win on their temporary home ground this season. A narrow loss to Chelsea in the second week of the season was followed by two dour draws against Burnley and Swansea.

The dropped points aside, Spurs never looked overwhelmed on any of these occasions. Indeed, even in the match against Chelsea, they held court — dominating possession and creating plenty of chances for themselves.

Failure to make the most of those opportunities — and some lapses in defensive concentration — made the difference here. It’s crucial to acknowledge though that they were results and unfortunate moments that are inevitable in any given season of football. To complain about the size of Wembley’s pitch or the lack of noise from the cavernous stands is to ignore some pretty basic realities of the sport.

That this stale play came in the first 270-odd Premier League minutes of play at Wembley allows pundits, paranoid fans and rivals to further spin a narrative that began the second it was suggested that a year in the wilderness might be required as White Hart Lane’s replacement is built.

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It’s that narrative that Spurs will be battling on Saturday. They already laid the ground work in their 3-1 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund. A win over Swansea the following weekend would have wrapped things up neatly, but the Welsh side were not quite obliging.

Mauricio Pochettino will be able to call upon a thoroughly in-form Harry Kane this time around though, and players like Harry Winks and Serge Aurier are finding some traction in the team even as luminaries like Mousa Dembélé and Danny Rose remain injured.

Eddie Howe’s team will pose it’s own threat to Tottenham of course. They might own one of the worst records in the Premier League this season — only one win in their first seven attempts — but Bournemouth are much better than they appear.

Beating recently promoted Brighton three weeks ago wasn’t exactly a triumph, but further credible performances in the narrow 2-1 loss to Everton and the 0-0 draw with Leicester suggest that Bournemouth are rediscovering their footing in time to visit Tottenham.

Next: Harry Kane wins September Player of the Month

Still, Spurs’ first task remains overcoming their own lingering doubt about their abilities in Wembley. A commanding win — even against a side like Bournemouth — might just be enough to vanquish such doubt for good.