Tottenham Hotspur failed to win at home for the fourth successive game in a row in the Premier League after they fell 1-0 to London rivals Chelsea on Saturday – and former boss Tim Sherwood believes he knows why their home form is so poor.
Joao Pedro’s strike in the first half after some poor defensive work handed Chelsea all three points, and although it keeps them fourth in the Premier League, a win would have taken Tottenham into second.
Instead, they could be leapfrogged into sixth if wins for Manchester City and Sunderland transpire later in the week.
And Tim Sherwood believes that Thomas Frank’s men are suffering on home soil because of a pressure to perform and entertain at home, instead of merely picking up points in a somewhat boring manner.
Tottenham are struggling to perform at home as there is too much pressure to entertain
Speaking on Premier League Productions’ ‘Team Talks’, Sherwood claimed that Tottenham are a good side when they play how they want to play.
But pressure from home fans to put on a show on home soil can get too much – as seen in the defeat to Chelsea, with some poor passing out from the back by Tottenham leading to Joao Pedro’s goal.
Sherwood said: “They’re far better away from home.
“They’re allowed to play however they want away from home as long as they win the football match. They score from two set pieces. Micky van de Ven there.
“But unfortunately, when you play at home the fans demand a lot more than that. I think that’s why they’ve struggled at home. I really do.
“I just think that there’s demands from the fans to entertain. You feel obliged as a player to entertain as well.“
Spurs have the fourth-worst home record in the league, only being worse off than Nottingham Forest, Wolves and West Ham.
That misery was compounded when footage emerged of Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbed Thomas Frank after the game, walking straight down the tunnel.
Tottenham have had a poor home record over the past calendar year
Tottenham’s 4-1 home win over Aston Villa this time last year put them into seventh in the table, in what was their fourth home win from five in the Premier League at the time.
But since then, they have won just three home matches in the Premier League.
A win over Manchester United in February, a victory against rock-bottom Southampton in April and a dream opening day start at home to Burnley to kickstart the campaign are their only triumph in what has been a torrid past year to be a season ticket holder.
Ipswich Town, Chelsea, Liverpool, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Chelsea once again on Saturday have all beaten Spurs in the league over the past year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium alone.
It’s something that Thomas Frank needs to sort as soon as possible if he is to drag Tottenham into genuine Champions League contention, despite their strong form on the road.