Tottenham Hotspur are currently experiencing a crisis, especially after being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Colchester in midweek. And they will be desperate to return to winning ways when they host Southampton on Saturday.
The Lilywhites are winless in their last three matches, so failing to muster all three points this weekend could potentially slide them to the wrong end of the table.
Here is how Mauricio Pochettino’s men could line-up against the Saints this weekend.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Pochettino will ring in the changes from the side that lost to Colchester. Hugo Lloris is expected to return in goal, replacing Paulo Gazzaniga. The Frenchman needs to remain sharp against an unpredictable Southampton attack.
The three-man backline consisting of Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga will all be demoted to the bench after a disappointing display in midweek. That means Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will return to the side, with Pochettino likely to revert to a four-man defensive setup.
Ryan Sessegnon is a doubt and will face a late assessment. He is unlikely to start in any case, paving the way for Serge Aurier to operate as a right-back, replacing Kyle Walker-Peters. Danny Rose, meanwhile, will return to the side as well, at the expense of Ben Davies on the opposite flank.
Midfield
The midfield combination of Victor Wanyama and Oliver Skipp didn’t work for Spurs in midweek. Neither of them are expected to feature in this game as Harry Winks is set to return to the starting eleven.
The youngster has been one of the better players for the Lilywhites in this campaign and his calming presence in midfield will provide more stability to the side. Winks will be partnered by new signing Tanguy Ndombele, though Moussa Sissoko is also pushing for a start.
It will be interesting to see how these two plan to avoid Southampton’s high press under Ralph Hasenhuttl. Deploying an extra man in midfield might be a good idea, and that’s where Christian Eriksen might come into the fray.
The Dane could replace Dele Alli as the lone attacking midfielder. However, he could operate in a relatively deeper role in order to provide more support to the central midfielders.
Attack
Pochettino is also expected to shuffle his cards in the attacking department. Harry Kane will come in for Troy Parrott as the leader of the Spurs attack.
The English international will be supported by the attacking duo of Erik Lamela and Son Heung-Min. Both players are capable of taking the game away from Southampton this Saturday.
