Tottenham projected XI v Stoke: How will Spurs cope without Sanchez?

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LEICESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 28: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur and Shinji Okazaki of Leicester City in action during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at The King Power Stadium on November 28, 2017 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Attacking midfielder-Christian Eriksen

The brilliant Dane was given time off during the week from training. Combine that with the obvious fact that he didn’t play against APOEL and it’s clear he’ll be in the starting XI v Stoke.

Spurs fans will be hoping to see Eriksen bounce back from a lull in his recent form. Pochettino believes his stylish midfielder was mentally fatigued and it’s hard to argue with that assertion. Hopefully the time off has allowed Eriksen to recharge his batteries.

Attacking midfielder-Dele Alli

Fickle Tottenham fans have grown fond of criticizing Dele’s play in recent weeks. The precocious midfielder hasn’t played his best football this season, but reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

He is still one of Pochettino’s most dangerous goal scoring threats. Count on him to see a lot of the ball against Stoke. This may be a match where his ability to set up a teammate is more important than his ability to find the back of the net for himself.

Attacking midfielder-Son Heung-Min

This spot is a very tricky choice for Pochettino. Part of him will be tempted to play Moussa Sissoko here due to his defensive work rate, but look for Son’s offensive skills to win out in the end.

The clever Korean either needs to score a goal or increase his work rate if he wants his match do be deemed a success. Proponents of Son claim his scoring outweighs his deficiencies. I’m not so sure and neither is Pochettino. I think Son will get the nod here, but it wouldn’t shock me to see him start this match on the bench.

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