September can set the foundation

With the first international break out of the way, Spurs face multiple fixtures on all fronts that can result in our favour.

Article by Steven Benton @StevnBentn

At the start of the 15/16 season, we saw Tottenham take three points from four matches before the first international break. This year, we have taken five points from three and are heading into a full four weeks of Premier League, League Cup and of course, Champions League action. We will face a few middle to bottom of the table lurkers from the North, along with some favourable draws from League One and Europe. Taking a look at the September set up, this month could be a month that sets us up for a special season.

Our first test is a trip to Staffordshire where we face Stoke City. The Potters currently find themselves at the bottom of the table on goal difference. After a brutal 4-1 loss to Manchester City on their home debut, their struggles continued against Everton where their defence was well beaten, except for Shay Given who came up with nine saves. However, Given hiccupped after the halftime break when he was credited with an own goal.

With Erik Lamela returning late from international duty, new signing Moussa Sissoko will most likely see his debut come early. He is yet to see playing time domestically, but his legs are fresh from time on the pitch wearing French colours last weekend. It should be an open, attacking game with players like Sissoko and Christian Ericksen feeding Kane the ball for plenty of chances. It could be Victor Wanyama’s last chance to impress in the starting XI with Mousa Dembele having fully served his six-match ban after the Stoke game. It will also be Hugo Lloris’ first game back since a hamstring injury in the season opener.

We have waited over five years for Spurs to stand on the pitch and listen to the Champions League anthem. The wait will be over on Wednesday, September 14th when we face AS Monaco at Wembley. It was only a year ago when we played Monaco in our 15/16 Europa League group. We drew 1-1 at Stade Louis II, and dominated 4-1 at the Lane. Erik Lamela scored four goals against the Red and Whites, with a hat drink in the home fixture. Playing a familiar team from a year ago can give us a bit of an advantage. Monaco’s last stand in the Champions League saw them go all the way to the quarterfinals before falling to Juventus. Dembele will be guaranteed his first competitive start as well.

Just like last year, our fifth fixture is a tie with Sunderland. Ryan Mason, who will be missed, broke the deadlock, starting our magnificent run in the Premier League. The Black Cats are still finding it hard to stay away from the bottom three having only taken one point from three matches. This should be another attacking match where we can expect to see Kane, Vincent Janssen, or perhaps Kevin N’Koudou make their mark on the scoring sheet. It will be Dembele’s first Premier League game back from suspension. Given the match against Monaco being on a Wednesday, Sunderland will arrive at the Lane the following Sunday for a 4:30pm kickoff time.

In the same week that we felt the relief of getting an excellent group draw in the Champions League, we were given another present in the third round of the English League Cup. We’ll be set for a home game against English League One side, Gillingham on September 21st. Mauricio Pochettino has stated that he wants cup ties to be used as development for the reserve squad, so expect a lot of changes in the starting lineup. It would be a great day to enjoy if Marcus Edwards nets his first goal for the senior team. Other players like Harry Winks and Cameron Carter-Vickers will see time and will play their parts in helping us make a cup run. Similar to the 14/15 EFL campaign, it would be excellent if the round of 16 draw was a side from the Football League Championship or lower.

We will round off September’s Premier League fixtures with a trip to newly promoted Middlesbrough on September 24th. For now, Boro is the only new club that hasn’t suffered a loss. Through three games, they’ve scored their goals early on and they like to keep their back four strong to make sure nothing gets through. It will be the toughest test of September outside European competition. Plenty of players like Kane, Eriksen and Lloris will be back after seven days of rest, so hopefully, they’ll find form quickly. Finding the early goal could be difficult but if we break the deadlock first, then we’ll see out the win.

The month wraps up with a Champions League journey to Moscow where we play Russian Premier League Champions, CSKA. The Russian side bowed out of their group last year when they faced difficult tests against the likes of Wolfsburg and Manchester United. Starting the European campaign with two straight victories could set the foundation for our progression into the knockout stages. Around 12 points is usually enough to guarantee progress, so to cap off September being halfway to those 12 points would be a great feeling.

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