Pochettino is right to gamble without Tottenham duo against Inter Milan

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Mauricio Pochettino has left both Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier at home for Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League tie with Internazionale.

Mauricio Pochettino is coming under a little fire at the moment after Tottenham Hotspur’s poor showing in their 2-1 defeat against Liverpool.

Spurs simply could not cope with Liverpool and, if anything, the one-goal deficit flattered them more than their opponents as poor finishing kept the scoreline semi-respectable.

It is now back-to-back defeats for Spurs, but the midweek visit to Internazionale offers a good chance to really get back on track.

That is why many are surprised that Pochettino has decided to leave Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier in London for the game.

“It’s a technical decision,” he explained, reports the Mirror. “You can look it up, find it in the dictionary. A technical decision.

“The plan is to leave them and use different players. There’s nothing behind it, only that we will play with different players.

“We believe the best decision is to play with different players.”

You can understand the raised eyebrows at such a decision – a victory against Inter would be hugely beneficial in the group – but Pochettino is not being as foolish as it first looks

Inter have started the season terribly, losing to Sassuolo and Parma, giving up a 2-0 lead against Torino to draw, and registering their only win against a Bologna side who have not even scored a Serie A goal this season.

That is not the form of a side who should trouble Tottenham and, considering the amount of football played by Alderweireld and Trippier since the start of the World Cup, giving them a rest when you have got Davinson Sanchez and Serge Aurier as backup does make sense.

It would be nice to rest the likes of Harry Kane, too, but the options are not there, so why not use the ones that are?

Prioritising points in the Premier League is the right move. Tottenham are good enough to beat Inter, and Champions League progression should not need the best of their best just yet.