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Tottenham v Burnley projected Spurs XI: Pochettino poised to change things up

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: Pedro of Chelsea and Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur FC during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 20, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: Pedro of Chelsea and Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur FC during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 20, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Willian of Chelsea and Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur battle for possession during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 20, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Willian of Chelsea and Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur battle for possession during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 20, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /

Left Centre Back-Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen wasn’t great last weekend against the Blues, but he did more than enough to keep his spot in Pochettino’s starting XI. Look for the talented Belgian to spend a lot of time trying to get forward and push the Spurs attack forward against the Burnley defense.

Right Centre Back-Toby Alderweireld

Alderweireld’s explanation is almost identical to what I wrote about Vertonghen above. He’ll be anxious to get back on the pitch and issue a commanding defensive performance. Expect Alderweireld to push really hard to earn his club a clean sheet.

Right Back-Kieran Trippier

Let me be clear here, this is a piece describing how I expect Pochettino to line up. This is not a piece where I articulate how I’d like to see the squad deployed.

If it were up to me, I’d have Trippier on the bench after his miserable performance against Chelsea. Wanyama and Lloris got plenty of stick from the fans, but Trippier was just as bad. He might want to get the start against his old club, but I’d rather see Kyle Walker-Peters get more valuable playing time. Trippier needs more time to recover, but I expect him to get the start anyway.

Left Back-Ben Davies

Davies had one of his better performances of his Spurs career last week against Conte’s squad. He doesn’t have the athleticism that makes Danny Rose so effective for the club, but he is solid and poised at all times.

It’s imperative that he work hard to get forward against the Clarets. He has to provide width for the club’s attack to make sure it doesn’t become too congested in the middle of the pitch. The more Davies is able to get forward on Sunday the better it will be for his club.

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