Playing for 90
Fansided

Tottenham projected starting XI v Manchester City: Pochettino will attack Guardiola

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and APOEL Nicosia at Wembley Stadium on December 6, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and APOEL Nicosia at Wembley Stadium on December 6, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 13: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur comes on for Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium on December 13, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 13: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur comes on for Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium on December 13, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

Attacking midfielder-Dele Alli

I love Erik Lamela more than most Spurs fans, but he isn’t going to start this match. He just isn’t fit enough to start two Premier League encounters in the same week.

That makes starting Dele a very simple choice for Pochettino. He may not be having the season of his dreams, but he’s a massive danger man. You can be sure City will be concerned about where he is on the pitch at all times.

Make no mistake, Dele needs to create a goal or an assist in this match to deem it a success. His play will be a bellwether for how Spurs are performing overall.

Attacking midfielder-Christian Eriksen

The talented Dane doesn’t talk a lot about his desire to be considered a world-class midfielder, but I’m pretty certain that’s a goal of his. Playing well in matches like this is the only way Eriksen will get that kind of respect around the globe.

The key for Eriksen will be walking the proper line between letting the match come to him and grabbing it by the scruff of the neck. Eriksen cannot afford to be a passenger in this match. He has to make his chances count against City when he can. A wasteful match from Eriksen will be fatal for Spurs.

Attacking midfielder-Heung-Min Son

There’s simply no way to justify leaving the talented Korean out of the starting XI for this match. He may not have the work rate that Pochettino covets from his wingers, but his goal scoring streak speaks for itself.

That doesn’t mean Pochettino won’t try to coax a bit more defensive effort out of him on Saturday. Son’s primary objective will always be to find the back of the net, but if he wants to play 90 minutes against City he’s going to need to track back. As usual, if Son scores it’s a good match, if he doesn’t, he probably won’t be a standout.

Home/Tottenham Hotspur