Tottenham Hotspur are in Premier League action against Manchester City on Tuesday night, and the build-up to the game has been somewhat unusual.
The fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has a lot at stake for both teams. Spurs need to win to keep their top-four hopes alive, while the Citizens must win to go top again.
Spurs are currently fifth in the table on 63 points from 36 games. Aston Villa are fourth with 68 points from 37 matches.
Therefore, Tottenham must win to stand any chance of leapfrogging the Villans on the final day.
Meanwhile, Man City are second with 85 points from 36 games. Arsenal are top on 86 points from 37 matches played.
And therein lies the problem for Tottenham fans. Should Spurs beat Man City, they’d be giving their bitter rivals the title advantage going into the final day.
Now, Tottenham-leaning pundit Jamie O’Hara has given his verdict on the situation Spurs find themselves in, while also commenting on Emerson Royal.
What has Jamie O’Hara said about Tottenham and Emerson Royal ahead of Manchester City game?
The talkSPORT pundit claimed that “not one” fellow Spurs fan he has spoken to wants Ange Postecoglou’s side to win.
Jamie O’Hara also claimed Emerson – who hasn’t had the best of seasons – could be “booed off the park” even if he were to score for Spurs.
“I have spoken to a lot of Spurs fans, a lot, and there has not been one fan that wants us to win tonight, not one,” he said on talkSPORT (14/5/2024, 9:10am).
“So, I am not the minority here. I am telling you now there are a lot of Spurs fans.
“If we score tonight, if we are 1-0 up and Emerson Royal tucks it and makes it 2-0, I tell you what? He might get booed off the park again, nothing unusual.”
Tottenham players will try their best in front of conflicted Spurs fans
There’s no doubt that Tottenham’s players will give their all against Manchester City.
They’ve only just managed to get back to winning ways after four disappointing defeats that all-but ruled them out of Champions League contention.
Now, there’s a small chance that Spurs might just be able to sneak into fourth place, and the players will try their hardest to get themselves into that position come matchday 38.
However, it’s understandable for Tottenham fans to feel conflicted about the permutations around this game.
If Spurs were to win against City and Arsenal go on to win the title on the final day, the Lilywhites’ fans won’t hear the end of it from the Gooners.
As for Emerson, he hasn’t had the best of seasons, but it would still be nice for him to put in a good display and show that he has a lot to offer to Spurs.
That said, if ever the £26million man was going to put on a masterclass against a huge club and maybe even score multiple goals, it wouldn’t be surprising for it to be this game tonight.