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Tottenham v West Ham: Projected Spurs starting XI

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Slaven Bilic manager of West Ham United and Mauricio Pochettino Manager of Tottenham Hotspur prior to the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at Boleyn Ground on March 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Slaven Bilic manager of West Ham United and Mauricio Pochettino Manager of Tottenham Hotspur prior to the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at Boleyn Ground on March 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 15: Danny Rose of England during the International Friendly match between England and Spain at Wembley Stadium on November 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 15: Danny Rose of England during the International Friendly match between England and Spain at Wembley Stadium on November 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

Back Four

The bad news for Spurs is that Toby Alderweireld still isn’t ready to rejoin the starting XI. There was originally some hope he’d be back in time for the match, but Pochettino ruled him out during yesterday’s media availability.

The good news from that same press conference, is that Pochettino didn’t even mention Danny Rose. He came off early for England against Spain with an apparent sore foot. England’s defense fell apart after his departure and some worried he wouldn’t be ready for West Ham.

Since Pochettino didn’t mention him at all, I’m going to pencil him in at left back. I also think he’ll be joined, as usual, by Kyle Walker at the right fullback position. I gave some thought to giving Kieran Trippier the nod here, but Tottenham need a win too desperately to start anything less than their top available lineup.

Jan Vertonghen will miss his countryman in central defense, but look for Eric Dier to get another start in his place. Kevin Wimmer got a surprise start against Arsenal, but I think he’ll be back to the bench given the more conventional back four that will be deployed Saturday.

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