Tottenham Hotspur won’t be true Premier League title contenders until they improve their results away to the rest of the sides harboring title aspirations of their own — generally speaking, the top-six.
[ FOLLOW: All of PST’s PL coverage ]
Speaking ahead of Tottenham’s seasonal trip to Anfield (Watch live, 12:30 p.m. ET, on NBC and online via NBCSports.com), where they’ll take on a reeling Liverpool side without a single PL victory in 2017 (just one win in all competitions — in the FA Cup, over Plymouth Argyle), Pochettino sees this as the perfect time to right the wrongs that have plagued his reign — quotes from the Guardian:"[We struggle at] top-six clubs because we have had some draws and some losses. It’s true that this is a good opportunity to change that stat.”
…
“We had the same problem in November — every club can have ups and downs. They are not in a good run but have very good players, one of best squads in England or even Europe, they will be motivated as this is always a big match. When we play them it will be very high-tempo and intense. If we win it will be important to keep our good position and put pressure on Chelsea. It’s not decisive but it’s important.”
First things first, let’s see if the numbers are true to Pochettino’s diagnosis that Spurs throw away too many points away to the rest of the top-six. Yup, his story more than checks out.
[ MORE: “I think that’s it” for Wenger; “he’s coming to the end,” says Wright ]
A little more than two and a half seasons into Pochettino’s tenure at White Hart Lane, Spurs are 7W-13D-9L against Arsenal (unbeaten at 1W-4D-0L), Chelsea (2W-2D-2L), Liverpool (0W-3D-2L), Manchester City (3W-1D-2L) and Manchester United (1W-1D-3L). Not terrible, but well below a rate of 50 percent of possible points won.
Away from home, Pochettino’s record against those sides is a disastrous 1W-6D-8L.