Tim Sherwood has questioned Xavi Simon's decision to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Tim Sherwood has questioned Xavi Simon's decision to join Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur have performed very well since the Premier League resumed after the September international break.
10-man Spurs showed grit and spirit to fight till the end and clinch a point against Manchester United. The result at Old Trafford has seemingly become a turning point in Tottenham’s season, which was flat and going nowhere. The belief it gave the players cannot be overstated, leading to the North Londoners bagging wins over Coventry City and Chelsea.
Roberto De Zerbi’s team registered their first Premier League win of the season by beating Coventry City 3-1 at home, before enjoying a comprehensive 2-0 win at Chelsea. The performance against Chelsea was outstanding, with the win ending Tottenham’s long Stamford Bridge hoodoo.
Roberto De Zerbi
Refusing to let standards drop, Roberto De Zerbi aggressively prepares his squad for a domestic schedule. [Image via Tottenham Hotspur]
Next up for Tottenham is a home game against London rivals Crystal Palace. The Eagles have struggled to get going under new manager Pierre Sage, losing five of their opening eight matches and conceding 19 goals, the most in the division. That run has left them sitting 17th in the table.
Now, Tim Sherwood has made his prediction for the exciting London derby. The English pundit has backed his former club Spurs to beat Crystal Palace and continue their upward trajectory.
“They’ve spent nearly £400 million not to finish 10th, surely!? And I think their result at Old Trafford, that performance, getting that last-minute one, and they’ve picked up a few results since. Chelsea, no one wins at Chelsea; no Tottenham manager goes to Chelsea and wins, it’s a graveyard. Everything’s on a positive. I think they’ll beat Palace,” Tim Sherwood said on The Overlap Daily.
De Zerbi’s men have been handed a golden opportunity to keep their momentum going and build a winning culture. Having navigated some tough matches, the Lilywhites now have a very winnable set of fixtures coming up at a time when the players are slowly regaining their confidence levels. And it starts with a home fixture against Palace.
Palace have lost their last two league games to Brighton and Newcastle United, respectively. The Eagles did bounce back in midweek with a narrow win over Fulham in the EFL Cup fourth round, but that result would not have done anything to mask their flaws.
After such a big win at Chelsea, the Tottenham player’s tails must be up. De Zerbi’s squad will be hungry and motivated to beat Palace and make it three wins on the bounce. Failure to do so would definitely be a step back for Spurs.