Neil Humphreys: Time to panic, Mauricio Pochettino
His tired Tottenham have bigger problems than wantaway Eriksen
Mauricio Pochettino is turning into Shrek. He even sounds like the grumpy cartoon character, admitting that Tottenham Hotspur are "far, far away" from where they should be.
Spurs are indeed stuck in the land of Far, Far Away, a kind of alternate reality that is somewhere between the dreamy past of the Champions League final and the nightmarish present of losing at home to Newcastle United.
They are at risk of becoming neither here nor there, the sort of team they used to be, decent to look at, but no real threat to anyone.
And Pochettino knows it.
The smiley Argentinian of last season has yet to put in an appearance, leaving us instead with a grouch complaining about the incessant noise from the neighbours' open windows.
La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga clubs can still sign players until Sept 2. The English Premier League transfer window is already closed. Christian Eriksen could still be sold.
But he can't be replaced.
No wonder Pochettino appears so irritable. There are few reasons to be cheerful.
Dropping Eriksen in his prime while his teammates display less fluidity than plastic toy soldiers is a problem.
When the Dane came on against Newcastle, Tottenham showed greater urgency. But the exasperated home supporters would have witnessed greater urgency if an actual Great Dane had scampered onto the pitch.
The defeat by the Magpies was in keeping with a general malaise that has persisted since Tottenham's run to the Champions League final last season.
When Spurs prioritised Europe, their domestic form plummeted, taking just 11 points from their last available 36. A limited squad succumbed to lethargy.
The hangover endures.
One victory in their opening three games does not signal a crisis, but it has glossed over a sense of mediocrity at Spurs.
Eriksen's soap opera remains a distraction, but one familiar to every elite club with a restless maverick.
Pochettino, who appears more aggravated now than last season when he did not sign a single player, has concerns beyond a Danish treat going stale in London.
Spurs' revered industry along the flanks has vanished, thanks in large part to plodding defending and unusual selections.
DOGHOUSE
Jan Vertonghen continues to keep Eriksen company in the doghouse for restless pros winding down contracts. He was also banished to the bench, with Davinson Sanchez called up to replace him.
The poor Colombian turned into a starry-eyed kid watching a fireworks display, rooted to the spot as dazzling colours flashed past him.
His misjudged header led to Newcastle's goal and he never recovered. Being on the left side of central defence hardly helped, as Sanchez had to overcompensate for Danny Rose.
The left-back's defensive frailties were only matched by the right-back's physical frailties. Kyle Walker-Peters, still only 22, lasted an hour before his hamstring forced him off.
Tottenham have seldom looked so vulnerable defensively. They're still waiting for a first clean sheet.
Steve Bruce deserves credit for winning at Tottenham, but there was nothing radical in his tactical approach.
His rigid 5-4-1 formation delivered more walls than a Republican Party speech. The onus was on the hosts to bring their hammers.
But Spurs attacked like backpackers chipping away at the Berlin Wall with nail clippers: well meaning, but essentially harmless.
Their 80 per cent possession stats only underlined, yet again, how pointless most stats are, as they engaged in endless sideways passing.
Without adequate support from their wing-backs, Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura failed to find space between Newcastle's rigid lines.
Not for the first time, Harry Kane was isolated. Tottenham's lone striker finds himself pushed to the periphery of too many games, something that rarely happens to Liverpool and Manchester City's forwards.
Eriksen might have joined the dots. The injured duo Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele were also missed. But their absences reinforced Spurs' limitations.
Pochettino overachieved last season and perhaps considered the Real Madrid job a fitting reward.
But the move didn't materialise and he is stuck with a club where annual miracles are practically expected, perhaps unfairly.
After just three games, he looks as fed up as Tottenham look tired. No wonder he seems edgy when it comes to Eriksen.
The Spurs midfielder is one of the few players at the club currently showing any sort of creative ambition.
If Eriksen runs out on the club, Pochettino will have every reason to panic.
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