Tottenham Hotspur will welcome Southampton on Sunday in what will be an intriguing battle between the two. Barring Europe, Spurs are having a pretty decent season so far. Under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, the North London giants have formed a formidable attacking unit with the likes of Dele Alli and Christan Eriksen shining brightly. They are currently second in the Premier League and will try to secure full points from this fixture.
Let us take a look at three key battles which might have a bearing on the result of the game.
Manolo Gabbiadini vs Toby Alderweireld
It is going to be a very interesting battle. The new arrival from Italy has already attracted the attention of Premier League fans. A relatively unknown name, Gabbiadini hails from the academy of Atalanta who are famous for producing talented players. Gabbiadini’s transfer to the Saints was a relatively low key affair but the Italian has contributed largely since his arrival. The 25-year-old has scored in each of his last seven matches, four for Southampton and three for Napoli. If he does score against the Spurs he will be the third player to score in his first four Premier League appearances.
Toby Alderwireld will have the responsibility to mark the striker. The player has struggled with injuries at times but that doesn’t seem to have affected his playing style. He is technically very solid and doesn’t commit mistakes. Pochettino has opted for a three-man defence and the Belgian defender has been the main reason for its success. He is one of the best ball-playing defenders in the Premier League and his inch-perfect passes have been excellent.
Kyle Walker vs Nathan Redmond
A battle between the two wide players. Since Pochettino opted to play with a more attacking 3-4-2-1, he has been using Walker in the right wingback position.
Saints have maintained a consistent shape of their defence and Redmond has played a big part in this. Walker will have the license to go forward to provide an additional outlet during the counter and Redmond needs to be very agile to stop his run and vice versa.
Fraser Forster Vs Spurs Attack
The trio of Son, Eriksen and Alli will definitely test the keeper. Forster’s weakness, when faced with shots from range, is not unknown and players particularly Dele Alli will try to exploit this. His mistake against Crystal Palace surely hasn’t gone unnoticed by Pochettino and he will plan his tactics accordingly.
