Dropping Trippier and Alderweireld has done the trick for Pochettino

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It is sometimes feared that Tottenham’s players fall into a comfort zone.

The theory goes that Spurs’ squad is so thin, with a disparity so large between the quality of the first team and the backups, that the elite performers are not being pushed to perform at maximum level.

Mauricio Pochettino tried to alter that by leaving two senior stars, Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier, out of the squad to face Inter Milan in the opening match of their Champions League campaign.

The next European engagement against Barcelona provides a useful opportunity to assess how successful that ploy was.

That Inter snub came on the back of Spurs’ worst performance of the season; although it failed to bring about an instant response, the results after that have shown that it has worked.

Trippier and Alderweireld have improved, and the move has also fired a warning sign to other first-teamers; they will not retain their place in the team regardless of form.

As Pochettino prepares his side to face Barcelona, Trippier and Alderweireld will expect to feature. That in itself proves the decision to be a success.

Pochettino may well have found a solution that pushes his players out of their comfort zone.