Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou suffers blow in Champions League push after Chelsea development
Tottenham will have suffered a blow to their momentum in the race for the Champions League this season by having a weekend without a fixture, according to Alan Hutton.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were scheduled to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Friday (23 February) but the game was postponed after Mauricio Pochettinho’s side booked their place in the Carabao Cup final, which they went on to lose to Liverpool.
That has left Spurs with two weeks between fixtures, with their next game seeing them welcome Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they look to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Wolves.
While some have suggested that Postecoglou will be grateful for the extra time on the training field, Hutton believes Spurs would have much preferred to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.
“I would have rather just bounced back and got it off my mind,” Hutton told Tottenham News.
“It just gives you so much time to dissect it and look over it. Where we went wrong, what else can we do and then obviously that sits with the fans for a long time that loss at home.
“You need to wait so long to get back out on the pitch. The perfect scenario is, that you put that game to bed, you’re focusing on your next match, you go out on the weekend, you win it and then that’s it.
“Perfect, you’re back on a role, so they’ll have had a lot of thinking time should we say.”
Can Tottenham bounce back against Crystal Palace?
Tottenham need to get back to winning ways in their pursuit of Champions League football and while Crystal Palace aren’t easy opponents to face, these are the sort of games Postecoglou simply has to win if Spurs want to finish in the top four.
While supporters and players would have been stewing over the defeat to Wolves for a fortnight by then, Spurs have a chance to put it right on home soil with a big win before they face Aston Villa in one of the biggest ties of the season.
Hopefully, the extra week’s rest will benefit Postecoglou’s side and the likes of Son Heung-min and Richarlison can be back to their best to help fire Spurs back into form.
In other Tottenham news, Hutton thinks Alfie Devine may be set for a summer transfer exit with his future now up to him
For more Tottenham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.