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Tottenham’s projected starting XI v Liverpool in EFL Cup

By Rucker Haringey

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Eddie Howe, Manager of AFC Bournemouth greet prior to the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on October 22, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Eddie Howe, Manager of AFC Bournemouth greet prior to the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur at Vitality Stadium on October 22, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Harry Winks of Tottenham jumps over Stuart Nelson of Gillingham during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images )
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Harry Winks of Tottenham jumps over Stuart Nelson of Gillingham during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images ) /

The Defensive Midfield

To be honest, this is the area of the pitch where I feel Tottenham might be most vulnerable in the match. I can’t see Pochettino deploying Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier or Moussa Dembele on Tuesday.

That leaves Tottenham devoid of a ton of quality options for the double-pivot. Expect Spurs to go with two reserve options. Neither of which get a ton of regular playing time in the Premier League.

We’ll start with the player I’m excited to see more of. Harry Winks should get one of the starting nods and he has a real future with the club. The more meaningful match time he can get now, the better suited he’ll be to earn a bigger role down the line. Winks could really be a factor for Spurs next season.

I’m much less excited about the player I believe will start alongside Winks. Tom Carroll really has no business still being a senior Tottenham player, but he still calls White Hart Lane home. There’s absolutely no reason for him to be employed by the North London club if he isn’t going to start a match like this. He’ll get the full 90 minutes, even if he fails to perform.

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