A little over a month on from its euphoric victory over Manchester City, Tottenham goes head-to-head with North London rival Arsenal having failed to win a game in six attempts.
Son Heung-min was given the nod to lead a flexible Spurs attack that afternoon, with Harry Kane having suffered an ankle ligament injury earlier in the month, and the South Korea international's performance had White Hart Lane purring. The 24-year-old peppered Claudio Bravo in the City net and linked beautifully with Dele Alli to gift the midfielder Spurs' second just before halftime after an Aleksander Kolarov own goal broke the deadlock.
An impressive win against the Premier League title favorites, without Kane making an appearance. It was job done for Spurs.
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"It was a great, great victory for us against this opposition. I am very happy," Pochettino said following the victory. "We need to follow this after the international match and we have more tough games after the international break."
Since then, however, momentum has escaped them.
Son was replaced by Vincent Janssen in the Spurs starting XI for the club's next outing, a trip to West Brom, and all potency was lost. Despite registering 20 attempts at goal, Spurs relied on an 89th-minute Alli strike to snatch a point. Though the Dutchman excelled with his back to goal, he offered little else in what was a disappointing showing from all involved.
If Kane's absence was evident at the Hawthorns, it was even more so in the following two games, back-to-back away 0-0s against Bournemouth and Bayer Leverkusen. While Pochettino's men were still creating opportunities — Erik Lamela created four chances and hit the woodwork against the Cherries alone — Spurs missed the ruthlessness Kane has provided for the past two seasons.
The cohesion in midfield has also seemingly evaporated since the introduction of Moussa Sissoko. While creative forces Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele have not featured alongside each other this season, in Sissoko the club has inherited a dysfunctional central player entirely devoid of confidence and tactical nous. Far from the effective midfielder on display for France at Euro 2016, Sissoko is proving to be a hindrance and his 30 million pound ($38M) price tag looks more unwarranted each appearance.
And then there's Toby Alderweireld. The center back has been the lynchpin of the Spurs back line since arriving at the club but is currently suffering from a knee problem, leaving Hugo Lloris a little more exposed than he's used to. Spurs have won over 50 percent of the games in which he has played, compared to 30 percent of those in which he hasn't featured.
There's something missing from the current Spurs team — a little bit of sparkle, if you will.
“It’s true we are maybe not so confident as after Manchester City," Pochettino said recently. "Football is about emotion and when you win, win, win, you are at the top of your emotional and mental level.
"But now it’s a good test for us to try to change the dynamic. We’re in a difficult moment but, to be honest, I like to have that kind of moment to learn and improve and it doesn’t scare me."
Despite the struggles in front of goal, Pochettino's men hold the best defensive record in the Premier League. In fact, it wasn't until Leicester City, their latest Premier League outing, in which they conceded a goal in open play.
Ten games, five wins, five draws, and just five goals conceded — Spurs sit just three points behind the top of the pack and look in good shape ahead of their trip across the capital Sunday despite the collective worry of supporters.
The potential return of Kane will also provide a timely boost to the squad, allowing Pochettino to reshuffle his misfiring forward line and inject some vigor into his team. The 23-year-old was not deemed ready for the club's 1-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley this week, but could very well be unleashed against Arsene Wenger's shaky defense Sunday.
"I can confirm that he will be available for selection," Pochettino said. "I need to decide whether to start him or play him on the bench. But I am very happy. He had a good training session on Thursday.
"The last few seasons, Harry has been a very important player for us. He is very important when he is fit and would be important for any club."
There will be little doubt in Pochettino's mind, despite his diplomatic comments to the press. If Harry Kane is fit and ready to go, the Argentine coach will select him in his side. Kane has scored four goals in his past four meetings with Arsenal and has a knack of scoring important goals.
He has some way to go if he is to replicate the 28 goals he scored for Spurs in all competitions last season, though a return to face Arsenal certainly presents Kane with the perfect opportunity to get started.