Tottenham Hotspur have had a fairly decent start in the Premier League, having won three of their four games. Mauricio Pochettino’s side looked set to make it four wins before a couple of late goals from Watford handed the North Londoners their first defeat of the season.
Pochettino hasn’t settled on a fixed starting XI as he is still seeing what his best lineup is. We try and find out what is Spurs’ strongest lineup judging from their performances in the opening four games.
Defence
Hugo Lloris is the man between the sticks for Tottenham. The Frenchman’s form has been good so far and the fans will hope he can keep it up.
Pochettino will have the good headache of picking two centre-backs from the trio of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez. However, we expect the Argentine to opt for the Belgian duo of Alderweireld and Vertonghen.
While Sanchez has shown immense promise over the past 12 months, Pochettino will look to make the best out of Alderweireld, whose future at the club still remains a subject of discussion.
Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies are expected to be the two fullbacks. Davies has won the most number of aerial duels than any other Tottenham player this season and though Danny Rose had a decent outing against Manchester United, we expect the Welshman to start more often.
Midfield
Eric Dier has managed to establish himself as an integral part of Tottenham’s midfield, racking up five interceptions in just three matches this campaign. Furthermore, he has averages two tackles per game.
Dier will be partnered by Mousa Dembele, who, despite being linked with a move away from London, has already played a big role for the club this season. His industry and ball circulating quality serve the team well. There isn’t another player like Dembele in the squad and that’ll worry Pochettino a bit.
Christian Eriksen, on the other hand, is the best playmaker in the squad. The Danish international has been pretty influential, racking up more shots than anyone else in the team. But, we can expect him to play a relatively deeper role this season.
Attack
Harry Kane is an obvious choice up front as he is arguably the best striker in the league. He will be aided by the wide-duo of Dele Alli and Lucas Moura. The latter has arguably been Tottenham’s best player so far.
Following a slow start to his career in the Premier League, Moura has notched up the most number of dribbles. In addition, he has scored three goals, which is already better than what he managed in the second half of last season.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
