Tottenham travel to APOEL beset by injuries: Who starts for Spurs?

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 09: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides third goal with Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur and Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on September 9, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /

Attacking midfielder-Harry Kane

Surprise! Harry Kane won’t be starting at the striker position for Pochettino today. Instead, he’ll play in a slightly deeper position as the central attacking midfielder.

In truth, I still expect Kane to get forward and play on the defenders’ back shoulders early and often in this match. Spurs will likely operate in more of a 4-2-2-2 than a true 4-2-3-1. No matter how you slice it, the idea that Kane won’t be leading the line is a major departure from Pochettino’s usual tactics.

Attacking midfielder-Son Heung-Min

In many ways the club’s injury crisis will force Pochettino to play one of his most attacking lineups. Son and Kane in the same attacking midfield could prove to be a nightmare for APOEL defenders.

Look for Son to move out wide a lot in this match. It’s where he’ll find more space and it’s crucial that he stretch the defense horizontally. The talented South Korean will be counted on to supply service for his striker’s more than he’ll be looked to for goals in this match.

Attacking midfielder-Moussa Sissoko

While I’d love to see Pochettino commit fully to the attack and start Georges-Kevin N’Koudou here, I just can’t see it happening. Expect him to deploy Sissoko to try to give his club a more balanced setup.

Unfortunately, Sissoko has shown that he can’t play his best football out wide. It won’t surprise me at all to see him languish for an hour before being replaced by the young Frenchman. It’s not what I hope happens, but it’s the future I see.

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