When winter unfolds, all walks of life are either gearing up for snow activities or hitting the airport, in the hunt for warm and cosy climates elsewhere. But that’s not the case for Premier League teams and players as there is no official break.
However, Tottenham Hotspur have astutely taken advantage of the short respite in the calendar to send the team to Spain for a little change of pace. This decision wasn’t made on the hoof, though, as the north London club have sticked to this ploy for the second year in a row. The squad are training for a week in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium.
With the weather at its worst in England halfway through the campaign, it’s commendable that the Lilywhites managed to hit the sweet spot. Training in a different surrounding and relishing the Spanish sunshine, it offers the team members a nice bonding session.
On the club’s official website, team coach Jesus Perez revealed the reasons behind the trip:
“We’ve played so many matches so far and it’s the same – a lot of training, a lot of the same routines – and the players deserve a bit of a break. Of course, we are training here, so we’re not on holiday, but they have time to be together as a group, to go shopping, to walk around, to have different meals, a change from the normal habits in London. It’s good as a group and I think it will be a fantastic experience again.
“The most important thing is to provide the players with a little rest, not physical rest, but mental rest, so they can do activities here together. In London it’s difficult because everyone lives in a different place and sometimes it’s not easy to stay three or four days between matches, especially when you are in an English team. This is more of a European team idea, they have periods like this to do different activities. So that’s most important and on Thursday, we’re back to normal, back at the training centre to prepare for the FA Cup as normal.”
During his spell at Espanyol as a manager, Mauricio Pochettino has built up ample of connections in Spain. In addition, despite being a native Argentinian, the former Southampton boss holds a Spanish passport too. Which clearly has made routes easier to arrange the training sessions in Spain.
In the previous winter season, the players really had a great time together, most evidently the video which was taken by Kevin Wimmer where Harry Winks failed a bet and had to put on a Barcelona shirt, hat and a pair of Crocs for the remainder of the day. And the fans are eagerly expecting such videos or pictures to be uploaded soon.
The north London side put on a valiant performance against Manchester City last weekend where they came from behind to secure a crucial 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium. After all those hard work, instilling a little chill and casual time was much needed.
Besides the on-pitch battle, things are pretty tense elsewhere. With Harry Kane and Dele Alli being on the radar of Real Madrid, transfer speculations are stocking up almost daily. Also, Pochettino is amidst a selection dilemma at the heart of defence as Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are shackled with injuries, with the former’s return date is still unknown. The club have been linked with a number of stopgaps in the winter window but nothing seems to be a more than a rumour.
Tottenham Hotspur will be facing Wycombe next in the FA Cup Fourth Round tie, followed by a trip to the Stadium of Light for a league clash against Sunderland. They will be on the box-seat to secure wins in both matches and hope Alderweireld does not remain in the medical room for too long.
