Tottenham’s Alderweireld left at home for Juventus clash: Fair or harsh decision?

Toby Alderweireld will be left at home for the first leg of Tottenham’s round of 16 clash with Juventus in Turin on Tuesday, raising concerns about the Belgian’s future with the club.

Mauricio Pochettino is a straight shooter, a manager who doesn’t dish out favours without merit.

Alderweireld, arguably the Premier League’s finest centre back, hasn’t participated in a match against top opposition since slightly tearing his hamstring against Real Madrid over three months ago. His return against Newport was free of incident, but the Belgian barely worked up a sweat in a pedestrian day at the park.

Pochettino doesn’t want to risk tossing Alderweireld into a wildfire without making him first feel some heat.

Pochettino’s logic precedes his decision

Pochettino never had any intention of starting the Belgian against Arsenal on Saturday, a logical decision based on a number of factors: first, Alderweireld was on only two days rest after playing his first competitive minutes since that fateful day vs. the Galacticos; secondly, even if Alderweireld hadn’t played midweek, nothing can prepare you, except for getting amongst it at a similar level of competition, for the pace of a north London derby, no matter how gifted the individual; and lastly, the gaffer has full faith in Davinson Sánchez and Jan Vertonghen, even after a nervy Sánchez performance at Anfield.

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I’m not comparing Sánchez, who is quite clearly Alderweireld’s understudy, to the domineering Belgian. But Pochettino has unconditional trust in the Colombian and the rest of his current starters, so much so that he demands even his A-list players prove their unabating fitness.

There are no guarantees, no gimmes at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, something Pochettino continually demonstrates.

A difficult decision for Pochettino?

So, Is starting a conceivably rusty, unrehearsed Alderweireld a better option than giving the nod to Sánchez, who, other than one shaky, nerve-filled outing at Anfield, has been a beacon of consistency?

Sánchez should expect a similarly hostile atmosphere in Turin to the rapturous, rude reception he received in Liverpool, where the youngster buckled under profound pressure. The Colombian has big-match European experience under his belt which probably factored into Pochettino’s choice.

What does the future hold for Alderweireld?

The elephant in the room, though, is whether Alderweireld will take the manager’s decision on the chin and react like the consummate professional he is.

Buzzing murmurs suggest that this type of decision is a slight on Alderweireld when nothing could be further from the truth. Expect the Belgian to take the decision in stride and return even stronger against Rochdale, conclusively convincing the gaffer that he’s ready to take his rightful starting place in Spurs’ rearguard for the second leg against Juventus at Wembley, and all other forthcoming meaningful matches.

Heaven forbid Alderweireld emulates Danny Rose’s petulant reaction when he was left out of the first north London derby. Though nobody expects that sort of unprofessional revulsion. Above all, Alderweireld wants to compete at on the world’s biggest stage with an élite team.

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He’ll have to wait for his anticipated Champions League return but make no mistake, it will come. And hopefully there will be many more grand Champions League occasions for Alderweireld to showcase his undisputed class in Lilywhite.

Fortune favours the bold and I hope, for Pochettino’s sake, that’s the case on Tuesday night because I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes if this controversial, yet rational decision backfires.