It has been an uncomfortable start to the campaign for Tottenham Hotspur this season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side ended last year in underwhelming form after a scintillating start, and unfortunately for the fans, they started this year in the same fashion.
They currently sit in 13th place in the Premier League with just four points out of a possible 12, and the club’s home defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon – their third in as many years – has seen the pressure mount on the manager.
In a spiky post-match interview, he reiterated his record of winning a trophy in his second season with the club. The good news for the Australian is that he’ll have the opportunity to keep that run alive tomorrow night as his side takes on Coventry City in the League Cup Third Round.
It will be interesting to see how strong a team he fields on the night, but given the need to rotate the squad, give youngsters more game time, and bench those who put in poor showings against the Gunners on Sunday, we expect the manager to look to make six changes to the side that lost last time out.
1 GK – Fraser Forster
So, starting in goal, we have our first change to the lineup as veteran shot-stopper Fraser Forster comes in for Guglielmo Vicario.
The 36-year-old Englishman hasn’t played a game for the club this season and likely won’t get many chances to either, so he’ll probably get the nod over the Italian, who didn’t exactly cover himself in glory against Arsenal either.
2 RB – Archie Gray
The right-back position brings us to the second change, and taking the place of Pedro Porro is £30m summer signing Archie Gray.
Now, the 18-year-old is still seen as a midfield prospect by many, but he spent most of last season playing on the right of a back four for Leeds United.
The Durham-born wonderkid has been touted as a “future £100m” star by analyst Ben Mattinson, and while that’s a lot of pressure, a game against Championship opposition is as good as any for his first start as a Spurs player.
3 CB – Radu Dragusin
To the left of Gray is Romanian centre-back Radu Dragusin, who comes into the side for Cristian Romero after he made a meal of marking Gabriel Magalhães for his goal on Sunday.
Dragusin didn’t get many opportunities to start games last season following his move from Genoa. Still, he played the full 90 against Newcastle United earlier this month and didn’t look too out of place, earning a 7/10 rating from Spurs journalist Alasdair Gold.
4 CB – Micky Van de Ven
Alongside the Romanian international will be Micky Van de Ven, whose lightning-quick pace makes him an invaluable player for Postecoglou’s style of play.
While he still came out on the losing side, the Dutchman was the standout defender against the Gunners last time out and was the main reason they couldn’t spring too many counterattacks when in possession.
5 LB – Destiny Udogie
Keeping his place at left-back is Destiny Udogie.
The Italian international had an incredible debut season with the club last year, and while he’s yet to reach those same heights this term, he’s still Postecoglou’s best option on the left and with Gray and Dragusin in the backline, the Australian cannot make a third change in what is a must-win game.
6 CM – Pape Matar Sarr
Moving into the midfield, Pape Matar Sarr comes back into the fold after missing out on a starting place last time out.
The Senegalese international has played in all four games this season, but, like Udogie, he hasn’t shown the same quality he did last year.
That said, a League Cup tie against second-tier opposition could provide him with the perfect opportunity to kickstart his campaign, and at 22, he could be critical to the Lilywhites’ future in midfield.
7 CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur keeps his place in the team as the senior player in this midfield.
The 27-year-old Uruguayan has been hit-and-miss over the last year or so, but when he’s on it, he’s one of the club’s most influential midfielders.
Therefore, Postecoglou should be starting the 65-capped international tomorrow night.
8 CM – Lucas Bergvall
The final player to make the midfield is Lucas Bergvall, who gets his first Spurs start in place of James Maddison.
Despite being just 18 years old, the Swedish “jewel”, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, has a couple of years of senior football under his belt already.
For example, in just 19 first team appearances for Djurgården last season, he scored six goals and provided five assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.35 games.
9 RW – Dejan Kulusevski
On the rightwing, in place of Brennan Johnson, should be Dejan Kulusevski.
Now, the Swede may well be better in central areas, but Johnson failed to offer any real threat on Sunday, and while he should be moved back into the middle for the Brentford game at the weekend, the Swede is more than capable of producing against Coventry.
10 ST – Dominic Solanke
Keeping his place up top is the £65m man, Dominic Solanke.
The former Bournemouth Marksman has failed to open his Spurs account in his first two appearances.
Still, he’s looked dangerous here and there, and Postecoglou should start him tomorrow night to give him the chance to score that all-important first goal.
Appearances
42
Goals
21
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.59
After all, once he got going for the Cherries last year, he was unstoppable and ended the campaign with 21 goals and four assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.
