Tottenham Hotspur will brace themselves for their first real test without Jose Mourinho and it’s the big one as they take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final. The decision to sack Mourinho has drawn in a lot of criticism, but with Spurs securing a 2-1 win over Southampton in midweek, it will be interesting to see whether or not interim coach Ryan Mason can power through another victory.
Predicted Tottenham Lineup Vs Manchester City
Defence
Mason opted for a traditional back-four in his first game in charge in midweek, and he will have very little reason to ring in too many changes against Manchester City.
It is also fair to point out that two of Spurs’ premier fullbacks in Matt Doherty and Ben Davies are missing, which pretty much guaranteed a starting berth for Serge Aurier and Sergio Reguilon in the wider defensive roles.
Things do get a little interesting in central defence. Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier were given the nod in midweek, ahead of younger alternatives in Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez.
Mason is likely to replicate that same formula as the collective experience of Dier and Alderweireld could indeed be useful against Manchester City, especially with Hugo Lloris starting in goal.
Midfield
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele also remain favourites to start in midfield, with their contrasting style of play likely to give Tottenham a lot of variety in the middle of the park.
The onus will be on Hojbjerg to offer the solidity in the double-pivot, using his tenacity and aggression that could be in preventing the Manchester City midfielders from dominating possession.
Ndombele, meanwhile, could be a key source of creativity in midfield. The Frenchman will even have the license of making driving runs forward, joining forces with the number ten in Giovani Lo Celso.
Attack
As for the attacking department, Harry Kane is likely to be unavailable after picking up a serious-looking injury in Mourinho’s last game in charge of Spurs. It could once again force the manager to deploy Son Heung-Min as the leader of the Tottenham attack, with the South Korean international hoping for creative support from wide attackers in Gareth Bale and Lucas Moura.
Steven Bergwijn and Erik Lamela are other attacking options for Spurs, while Carlos Vinicius could potentially serve as a deputy for the injured Kane in the number nine role.
