Tottenham Hotspur "suffered a setback" in its preparations for moving to Wembley next season after being told by the Premier League that it "will not be able to alter the dimensions of the pitch to replicate those of White Hart Lane," according to Hughes & Jacob of the LONDON TIMES. The club won only one of the five matches it played at Wembley last season. This led to discussions as to "whether the larger pitch was a contributory factor to the club’s poor results." Tottenham also discussed the "possibility of seeking to reduce the size of the Wembley pitch" in the belief that a smaller playing area would aid Manager Mauricio Pochettino's "trademark pressing game," but it was "made clear" at a meeting of the 20 Premier League chairs this month that such a change would not be permitted. The Premier League introduced a new rule two years ago standardizing pitch sizes at 105m x 68m, with exceptions only permitted in situations where it is "impossible to comply with rule K21 due to the ground's construction." Tottenham will therefore go from having the second-smallest pitch in the Premier League next season to the largest, although it "could ask the FA to trim its width" by 1 meter (LONDON TIMES, 6/20).
