Tottenham will look to return to winning ways when they take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday (10 December).
Spurs have suffered four defeats in their last five games in the Premier League and are heading into this game on the back of a 2-1 loss against West Ham.
Newcastle, on the other hand, have been very inconsistent with their performances, with Eddie Howe struggling to rotate his squad due to injuries to several key players.
The Magpies lost 3-0 against Everton in their last game at Goodison Park and will look to avoid another similar result away from home on Sunday.
Danny Murphy has been left impressed by Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon and he thinks the stage is nicely set for him to make an impact. He has hailed Gordon as a “tremendous” player who is “supertalented”.
The popular BBC pundit adds that Tottenham wanted to sign him in January and they will be wary of seeing him.
“Anthony Gordon’s success at Newcastle hasn’t surprised me. What I saw at Everton, particularly the season they stayed up under Frank Lampard, was a supertalented player with fire in his belly,” wrote Murphy for the Daily Mail (10 December, page 94).
“We see plenty of players who don’t always have the heart that’s vital to go with the skills. Gordon isn’t one of those. He’s passionate and when others were questioning the £45million price tag that took him to Newcastle, I knew he’d be a big player.
“Today’s opponents Spurs also wanted him in January last year — I bet they will be wary of seeing him lining up for the visitors.
“At 22, Gordon has tremendous pace, great balance, can use either foot and is able to make and score goals. Oh, and he has an abundance of desire to work for the team. It’s a potent mix, making him a manager’s dream.”
Huge game
It is a massive game for both teams. Spurs were leading the table only a few weeks back but they are badly struggling at the moment. What has been really frustrating is that they have taken the lead in all of their last five games, and yet they ended up losing in four of them.
Ange Postecoglou needs to sort out his defence while they aren’t doing enough in terms of creativity. Brennan Johnson, for instance, hasn’t done enough in recent games, and Spurs are badly missing the services of James Maddison.
Newcastle, on the other hand, need to keep up the pace to challenge for the top four. The injuries have played a big part this season, but Eddie Howe must inspire his team to bounce back and secure a victory against a strong opponent.
Gordon has been outstanding for the Magpies this season and many pundits believe that Gareth Southgate must include him in the England national team.
