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Tottenham v Arsenal: Spurs projected starting XI for the North London Derby, Harry Winks to start?

By Rucker Haringey

ENFIELD, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 4: Tottenham Hotspur Manager Mauricio Pochettino during a press conference at the clubs' training ground on November 4, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 4: Tottenham Hotspur Manager Mauricio Pochettino during a press conference at the clubs' training ground on November 4, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) /
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ENFIELD, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Harry Kane looks on during a Tottenham Hotspur training session ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group E match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on November 1, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 01: Harry Kane looks on during a Tottenham Hotspur training session ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group E match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on November 1, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

Striker and Bench

In their hearts, every Tottenham fan wants to see Harry Kane start this crucial North London Derby. However, our heads know that this just isn’t how Pochettino likes to operate with players coming back from injury.

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The Spurs manager has shown us time and time again that he likes to bring his injured stars back into the fold slowly. That sort of logic dictates leaving Kane on the bench to start the match.

As such, you can pencil Vincent Janssen in as the starter. He’s still looking for his first Spurs goal from open play. That isn’t something anyone hoped to be saying at this point in the campaign.

He can provide a physical target man for his attackers though. The Dutch striker has really shown a knack for holding up play and bringing his midfielders into the attack. It would be nice if he could turn his hold up play into an early goal on Sunday.

On the bright side, having Kane on the bench gives Pochettino a potential trump card if they can keep the match close. Inserting the English striker into an even match in the 75th minute sounds like an ideal recipe for success for me.

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