Mauricio Pochettino was asked in his press conference yesterday why two of his most important players were in full team training but not ready for action today.
He explained that this was just a consequence of their recovery from injury, and of the cautious approach the club were taking. The training they did didn’t sound like full on sessions either.
“They were training. [But] today, normally, we prepare the game for tomorrow. We did some set-pieces, tactical work, and meetings.”
The implication being that this is small scale, match preparation stuff, not a full blooded midweek effort.
But interestingly, he also put a potential return date as soon as the this weekend on them:
“They are nearly there. They are on the line, but they don’t cross the line. We hope they will cross the line for West Ham on Sunday.
What the return could bring to Pochettino’s European effort
Both are such classy players, and would instantly upgrade the first XI if fit and at full power. We’ve not seen that for some time. It’s easy to see why supporters might let themselves dream that the return of these two would take the team up a level and might just put them in a position to earn the points they need to make it into Europe.
Colwill could add that little bit of defensive solidity and some class on the ball progressing from the back. And Nkunku’s eye for goal and decisiveness in the penalty area would earn points on its own too.
Anyway, to us it feels unrealistic to even expect much this weekend. We could hope for a showing off the bench for Colwill at some point, but both have been out for a decent spell and can’t be ready for a start after just a week of training.
