Tottenham: Five reasons Spurs must beat Newcastle on Sunday

Tottenham need to win on the road

In three matches on the road this season, Spurs have only won once with a -4 goal differential. One of the major reasons many, including myself, point to as a reason Pochettino needed to go was the inability to win on the road.

Given, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has not been a fortress since the team moved in, Spurs more than ever need to get points on the road. Playing against a team looking head-on at a relegation battle, now is the perfect time to get three big points on the road and start showing the team can be something.

Tottenham need to build momentum

There is no doubt that with three straight London derbies – all losses – and several non-league games short players, September was a tough month for Tottenham. Fortunately, Spurs won their first match in October – against Aston Villa before the break – showing this month might be something different.

Over the next 21 days, Tottenham will play seven matches starting with Newcastle and ending with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton. In between those two matches are a trip to London Stadium to face the Hammers and a home match against Manchester United. Besides those four league matches, Spurs play twice in the Europa Conference League and once in the Carabao Cup a trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley.

With little time for much besides recovering and the next match, starting this run of mostly winnable games with a win is critical.

Spurs want to stay within shouting distance

Tottenham comes into the match a full seven points back of first and three back of the top four. If Tottenham is going to compete for either position this season, they have to stay close. A win on Sunday provides enough points to potentially have Spurs 5th – behind Brighton on goal difference, or sixth depending on what Everton does.

One way or another Sunday will be a moving day for several teams in the table and the Llilywhites want to move up and stay within arms reach of the top spots in the league. To stay in this fight long-term Spurs must win winnable matches like Sunday at Newcastle.