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Tottenham projected XI v Burnley: Pochettino will change shape

By Rucker Haringey

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: Kyle Walker of Manchester City breaks past Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: Kyle Walker of Manchester City breaks past Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

Central midfielder-Dele Alli

Some Tottenham fans want to see the precocious youngster dropped, but I’m betting that Pochettino will stick with him. The best way to get Dele back into a hot run of form is to let him play through his recent malaise.

The Burnley match could be the perfect salve for his troubles. Dyche’s team will attack Spurs which should give Dele room to hurt them on the counter. Don’t be surprised to see Dele pop up with a goal to get back on the score sheet Saturday.

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Central midfielder-Christian Eriksen

Less Tottenham fans want to see Eriksen dropped, but there’s a vocal minority advocating for that as well. I don’t see it happening here either. Eriksen may get a rest soon, but this fixture is too challenging and too important.

Look for the classy Dane to drop a bit deeper than normal to get on the ball. That should allow him to get engaged early in the match. If he can make some positive things happen early, he could easily turn in a top-notch performance for Spurs.

Central midfielder-Mousa Dembele

I thought long and hard about pulling a surprise and putting Moussa Sissoko here. I don’t believe Dembele deserves to start this match after his putrid effort against City. Again, Pochettino is forced to make a suboptimal choice due to his current injury crisis.

That means Dembele gets the starting nod over both Sissoko and Harry Winks. The Frenchman simply isn’t good enough to replace him and Winks needs a break after the worst match of his Spurs career. Pochettino will hope that Dembele can bounce back and give him at least an hour of good football on Saturday.

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