Tottenham projected XI v Burnley: Pochettino will change shape

Tottenham will not repeat their Manchester City mistakes

Spurs fans hoping to see Mauricio Pochettino make a lot of personnel changes in this weekend’s Tottenham starting XI may be disappointed. My strong suspicion is that we’ll see a significantly different formation from Pochettino, but the 11 men involved may not change as much as you’d think.

The disastrous performance at City coupled with Davinson Sanchez’s return from suspension gives Pochettino a lot of options. Look for the Argentine gaffer to revert back to a 3-5-2 formation at Turf Moor. In particular, Spurs’ distribution from the back seems much smoother with three centre backs out on the pitch.

The presence of three central defenders also lessens the defensive load placed on Tottenham’s wing backs. That means we’re unlikely to see a Kieran Trippier style horror show on Saturday. Fortunately, the absence of Leroy Sane in this match should also help to ease the job of whatever right back Pochettino selects.

The switch to a 3-5-2 will also give a lot more solidity to Tottenham’s midfield. The combination of Harry Winks and Mousa Dembele was routinely overrun against Guardiola’s attack. The addition of one more body in the midfield could be enough to turn the tide.

Read on to discover just how Pochettino will line up against Burnley this weekend. It’ll be a carefully selected lineup designed to correct the weaknesses laid bare by City last time out.