Jose Mourinho has struggled to turn Tottenham Hotspur into a dominant force ready to assault the Premier League’s top four.
The manager has also, so far, had difficulty in cup tournaments and Tuesday night will see Spurs host EFL Championship team Middlesbrough in an FA Cup third round replay. The two teams finished level at one goal apiece in the first meeting as Spurs had to come from behind to gain a draw.
Tottenham Hotspur go into the replay winless in their last four matches. Their most recent black mark was a 1-0 loss to Liverpool at the weekend that has since seen Mourinho panned for his outdated, negative tactics.
Three of Tottenham Hotspur’s last five matches in all competitions have seen them beaten to nil. Making their goalscoring issues worse is the absence of Harry Kane. The striker had surgery on his injured hamstring over the weekend.
Middlesbrough should face a strong Tottenham team although fatigue could be a factor after Saturday’s high-energy encounter with Liverpool. Middlesbrough kept just 29% of possession against Tottenham Hotspur in their previous match.
Although the Teesiders were mostly outplayed, they had a cutting edge to them. Jonathan Woodgate set Middlesbrough up to counter-attack Tottenham Hotspur, something we should see once more on Tuesday night.
Woodgate has Middlesbrough in their best form of the season. The club stuck with the first-year manager despite early struggles and now, Middlesbrough are 16th in the division and eight points off of a promotion playoff spot.
A promotion playoff place is unlikely but Woodgate could take his side into the fourth round of the FA Cup if Spurs are not careful. Following their draw on 4 January, Mourinho stated Tottenham Hotspur were “in trouble”. Could Middlesbrough end Spurs’ cup run?
Mourinho should deploy a strong side to play against Middlesbrough at home. Tottenham Hotspur are nine points off of the top four but just four off of the top five and Europa League qualification.
Tottenham Hotspur have five players ruled out for the midweek cup replay. Kane, Moussa Sissoko, Ben Davies, Hugo Lloris, and Tanguay Ndombele are all set to miss the clash.
Woodgate doesn’t plan to play striker Britt Assombalonga against Spurs. The striker should be available from his latest injury setback for Middlesbrough’s game at the weekend against Fulham.
One of the issues Woodgate is facing is two games in London in five days. It has changed the team’s normal training preparations as a trip to Craven Cottage will take place at the weekend.
Expect the strongest sides available to each manager when they meet on Tuesday night. Can Middlesbrough move on or will Spurs finally step up under Mourinho?
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