Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has questioned whether the time has come to stop giving Mauricio Pochettino a free pass for what happens at Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of league leaders Manchester City at Wembley on Monday in the Premier League as they failed to make the most of their home advantage.
The north Londoners have endured a paradoxical season to some extent, considering the fact that they had enjoyed their best start to a league campaign, with respect to points a few weeks ago, despite their largely uninspiring form.
Pochettino’s side are also yet to register their first win in the Champions League this season and will face a herculean task to secure qualification to the knockout stages from Group C, ahead of the likes of Inter and Barcelona.
Nicol insisted that many people tend to give Pochettino a pass due to the situation at Spurs with respect to transfers and their new stadium, but went on to claim that they should also look at the facts, which state that the club are far from where they want to be.
“When is Pochettino not getting a pass? You almost feel for him about the signings, the stadium and the injuries, but listen, the hard facts are they are outside the top four”, Nicol said on ESPN FC.
“That is a fact.
“The fact is, in the Champions League they have been awful. They haven't been particularly great in the Premier League.
“[Yes I agree with] kind of giving Pochettino a pass, but they are in fifth. When do we stop giving this guy a pass?”
Tottenham will next face West Ham in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday before they take on Wolves at Molineux on Saturday in the Premier League.
