[long_read]
Tottenham Hotspur kick off the Premier League season at home against Aston Villa.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side, of course, reached the Champions League final in 2018/19 and also finished fourth in the top-flight, but they will surely be out to launch an assault on the title this time around.
Indeed, they have already broken their transfer record once to sign Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon and are being linked with more new arrivals: Giovani Lo Celso of Real Betis, Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon and Juventus star Paulo Dybala are all said to be targets.
There could be plenty of upheaval to the starting XI that served Spurs so well last term, then, with Kieran Trippier the first to leave and Danny Rose also seemingly closing in on a departure.
Christian Eriksen’s future remains up in the air, too, after he confirmed he could leave earlier this summer, while Toby Alderweireld’s £25m release clause expired last week.
There are a number of options then, for Pochettino to pick from as he bids to get the 2019/20 season underway with a win.
Football FanCast breaks down five possible XIs.
[snack_break title=”Dream XI”]
If all the major targets arrive in north London, Spurs could have four debutants on the opening day.
Ndombele, of course, is already in the bag and gave fans a glimpse of what they can expect by laying on an assist with his first touch in a pre-season friendly against Juventus.
A midfield containing him alongside Lo Celso and of course Moussa Sissoko in central midfield could bear plenty of fruit for the club after the former Newcastle United man’s resurgence last season.
Sessegnon coming in at left-back would add an extra dimension both to Spurs’ defence and attack, offering width that the diamond formation lacks in midfield.
Sitting at the tip of the diamond is Dybala himself, a player who will inject flair, charisma and a touch of imperious class into Spurs’ build-up play.
In an ideal world Alderweireld will stay at the club and Eriksen’s demotion to the bench will signal the beginning of a new era in which Pochettino will have the squad depth to fulfil his ambitions.
The Argentine could also begin his experiment with Juan Foyth at right-back following the departure of Trippier to Atletico Madrid.
If that sequence of events plays out, and Harry Kane and Heung-min Son start the season in full health, then this looks like a mightily strong XI.
[snack_break title=”Nightmare XI”]
Of course, there’s the opposite scenario.
Pochettino could decide against using Foyth at right-back and install the rash Serge Aurier instead.
Alderweireld could still depart if a club is willing to match Daniel Levy’s £40m asking price, leaving Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen at centre-back, with Rose at left-back if both his and Sessegnon’s transfers fall through
Harry Winks could come in for Ndombele in midfield if Pochettino does not feel the Frenchman is ready, while Lucas Moura could fill in for Eriksen if he leaves too.
If Lo Celso fails to arrive, then Dele Alli would be the No.10.
Now, this doesn’t look like the most nightmarish of XIs but it is also made up solely of players who featured throughout 2018/19.
Between them, they made a combined 429 appearances in all competitions last season alone.
Only Aurier made less than 20, while Sissoko, Winks, Lucas, Son and Kane all made 40 appearances or more.
Don’t expect much freshness from this lot on the opening day.
[snack_break title=”Progressive XI”]
Paulo Gazzaniga has enjoyed some exceptional displays in goal for Spurs and, with Hugo Lloris flying home from the pre-season tour due to injury, he could well be trusted on opening day.
Kyle Walker-Peters has been banging on the door for a first-team breakthrough for almost two years now and Pochettino could select him while installing Foyth in his preferred centre-back role.
Partnering the Argentine with Sanchez could be the beginning of a new defensive tandem, while Oliver Skipp could take another step towards becoming a first-team regular.
Adding Troy Parrott to the attack would require a formation shift but the 17-year-old could be worth the risk; he has been prolific at youth level, scoring 15 goals in 13 games for the Under-18s, and made his senior debut in a friendly against Juventus.
He could partner Kane up top.
Of course, there is a lot of youth in this XI but Pochettino has routinely shown he does not mind chucking youngsters into the fray if they’re good enough.
[snack_break title=”Attacking XI”]
If Pochettino fancies going for it and attempting to run up a cricket score against the newly-promoted Villans, he could employ a 3-4-3 formation that relies on wing-backs.
That would see Aurier and Davies almost join the steely midfield of Ndombele and Sissoko, providing width on the flanks.
Further forward, there would perhaps be no need for a playmaker, with Lucas, Son and Kane providing a ferocious amount of firepower themselves.
There would be the option of tweaking the system from the bench if Eriksen or, perhaps, Lo Celso were to come on.
But this is a system that sees Pochettino loading all of the bullets into the magazine and hoping it fires.
[snack_break title=”Defensive XI”]
Or there’s this.
A flat back five would see Foyth play on the right – Aurier can’t really be trusted in such a formation – and Davies on the left.
Two defensive midfielders would come into the middle in Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama, with Sissoko the ball-carrier.
That would then see Son join Kane up front as Spurs relied on rapid counter-attacking and quick transitions.
This is a viable option for Pochettino but it would feel a waste to use it against Villa, a team who are likely to sit back and invite Spurs to attack.
There is no need for the hosts to join them in that tactic.
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