Opposition view – Tottenham Hotspur

We catch up with Mick Faldo from spursweb.com ahead of the Swans home match against Tottenham Hotspur this evening…

How’s your season been so far?
Regrets, we have a few… but thus far it’s been pretty good. Most of our summer window signings, the Champions League games and Gent were pretty awful but our terrific home form, lofty league position and FA Cup run more than make up for it.

With yourselves winning and Chelsea losing at the weekend the gap has been reduced to seven points. Do you think you can overhaul Chelsea?
Nope. No chance. Like Leicester last season they’re over the horizon and long gone and it’s only desperate newspaper writers who think otherwise.

We’ve heard reports that you may stay at the Lane next season and move to Wembley the season after rather than moving to there next term. How do you feel about that and what do you think will happen?
I’m more than happy to stay at ‘home’ for as long as we can, the trouble with that is that it would draw out the stay at Wembley, for European games anyway, for another season and no-one wants that.

Who have been your star performers and who needs to up their game?
It’s been a proper team effort all season with various players stepping up when required. Alli, Kane, Eriksen, Son and Rose, have all had their moments whilst Alderweireld, Lloris and Dembélé have been consistency personified. Wanyama, Vertonghen and Walker have stood out for me though. Janssen and Sissoko are the obvious players from which we could have expected more.

Swansea find themselves in a real scrap to stay up. How do you see the relegation battle?
Sunderland and Middlesbrough are gone I’d say. I thought Bournemouth were doomed until Josh King found his range but now it looks like Hull instead. You’ll be fine.

Mauricio Pochettino admitted he’d made a mistake by selling Gylfi Sigurdsson earlier this term. Do you agree with that assessment and we’re you sorry to see Tom Carroll leave to join us in January?
Yes, we miss Gylfi, everyone was disappointed when he was allowed to go but you could tell from the lack of suitors that it wasn’t as if we were selling someone showing outstanding form. A fine player though. Everyone was surprised that Carroll was still here at the end of the summer to be honest and even more so when he signed a new contract in the autumn. The fact that he was sold anyway is a perfect demonstration of the value of the modern contract.

Predict the score and where both teams will finish…
Given our injuries I’d say a 1-1 draw if Llorente plays, we’ll sneak it 2-0 if he doesn’t. Us, top four, you 17th.