Tottenham picked up a huge win in midweek, but the question is at what cost? That’s because although Mauricio Pochettino’s men have gained a first leg advantage in their Champions League Quarter-final tie, they have more than likely lost Harry Kane for the rest of the season.
After already spending two months of the campaign injured, it was the one sight that Tottenham fans would not have wanted to see on Tuesday night and another long absence will have the potential to derail their top four hopes at just the wrong time.
This Saturday lunchtime sees them play host to already relegated Huddersfield and the hope will be that they have enough firepower at their disposal to go on and pick up another victory in their new surroundings.
It is now two wins from two in Tottenham’s new home and there might not be a sweeter one than on Tuesday night. To a man they turned in an imperious performance and were more than equal to anything that Manchester City threw in their direction.
These two teams will meet twice next week and although there is no doubting the magnitude of both Etihad clashes, Tottenham and their players know that they cannot afford to overlook the more immediate task in hand.
The race to finish in the top four is one that changes leaders with any given gameweek and Spurs go into this Saturday’s clash lying fourth in the table - albeit having played a game less than Chelsea who start the weekend in third.
That means that every fixture that Tottenham and their nearest rivals play between now and May 12th is nothing else than a much win and although the North Londoners may be able to clear the hurdle of Huddersfield, tougher tests will undoubtedly await.
That means there will be an extra reliance on Hueng min-Son to provide the goals that Tottenham require to secure a return to the Champions League and if anyone is up to the task, it is the South Korean international.
It seems as if he already has an infinity with his new home, with two goals in as many appearances and he will hope that this purple patch continues when Jan Siewert brings his charges to this truly special stadium.
With nothing more to play for than pride, you do have to wonder just how much effort Huddersfield will expend and therefore this can only be viewed as a game that Tottenham should be winning, regardless of injury to key players.
Mauricio Pochettino may be ruing the fact he is without his star player, but he will take solace that the club won four league outings in a row without Kane and he will have to hope for a similar run of form this time around.
A win will not only be huge because of league placing but it will also continue this recent run of positive momentum, something that could assist their quest for a top four finish and with that in mind, it should be a routine home win come Saturday lunchtime.