Tottenham are one of the few unlucky teams in the Premier League to be involved in back-to-back away matches for the holiday fixtures. The trip to Southampton will be followed by a game against Watford at Vicarage Road a few days later. The club do not return to home comforts until January 5 when they take on Chelsea at White Hart Lane.
One of the aspects that makes their match against Southampton especially difficult is the form of striker Jay Rodriguez. The 27-year-old was one of the instrumental aspects of Southampton in Mauricio Pochettino’s final season at St Mary’s stadium. He scored 15 goals in 33 league appearances in the 2013-14 season. However, suffering a major injury towards the end of that campaign has seen the striker miss much of the last two years on the sidelines. It has been an extremely difficult period for the England forward, but he appears to be slowly getting back to his best.
The two goals against Bournemouth in the last match were a testament to his quality. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is extremely happy that a player like Rodriguez is back firing again. However, the Spurs manager is only hoping that Rodriguez does not score against his team. He was Quoted by the ESPN saying;
“I was very happy. I sent him a text. I was happy to see him on the pitch again. He suffered a very bad injury and I remember, fresh in my mind, that day at Manchester City. He’s a top player, a top man and we were happy to see him score against Bournemouth.”
“Now though we will suffer him because he will be our enemy and our opponent. But I’m happy he’s back to his level. He’s a top person.”
Unbeaten in the last four matches of all competitions, Southampton will provide a big test for Spurs. The North London outfit will be aware that Manchester United have closed the gap after the 3-1 win over Sunderland on Boxing Day. Hence, a victory is a must, rather than a luxury, for the fifth-placed team. It is easier said than done considering that Southampton have been on this good patch of form. A strong theme during this four-match run has been their ability to defend quite well. The Saints have conceded just one goal in the last three matches.
An attack containing the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Christian Eriksen, who has five goals in his last six matches, will be a much bigger threat than the likes of Bournemouth or a Stoke City. Spurs, though, cannot underestimate their opponent coming into the match.
The goals by Rodriguez against Bournemouth were his first in the league since the second day of the season. The 27-year-old had scored in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland back then. Any striker would love to end a goal drought, and Rodriguez is the kind of player who thrives on form and confidence. Pochettino is someone who knows the player extremely well after having seen him from close quarters. When asked about the possibility of signing Rodriguez, Pochettino refused to make any concrete rejections. He said:
“There were a lot of players linked with Tottenham at that moment.”
