Mauricio Pochettino won't risk players in Premier League opener | OneFootball

Tottenham’s World Cup stars returned to training this week but Mauricio Pochettino will not take risks against Newcastle on Saturday.

Speaking ahead of the club’s Premier League opener, Pochettino said his players are all fit after featuring for England, Belgium and France deep into the summer’s World Cup.

However, that doesn’t mean he’s willing to throw them into the team immediately and the players will be judged on a case-by-case basis.

“Of course the circumstances are completely different from each other and the profiles of the players are completely different,” Pochettino explained.

“Some need more time to get fit than others. That’s normal. Some players will be fit to start the game. Some will be fit to be on the bench.”

However, some players will remain in London to build their fitness.

The news is particularly worrying as Spurs fielded an inexperienced side in their final pre-season game, a 4-1 defeat to Girona last week. The club could now enter the new season with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris watching from home.

“Maybe some players will stay here to try to reach the level, to give more time, for different reasons – because maybe we don’t want to take risks, because they need more preparation, because the background or history of their injuries is different.

“I think I want to make clear that all are fit, but maybe we need to care for some players and not push them to compete, not take some rash decisions with some players because of their background or for different reasons that we are assessing now after Monday.”

Tottenham kick off their campaign away to Newcastle in Saturday’s early Premier League fixture.