Tottenham projected XI v West Ham: Winks starts for Eriksen

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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 13: Harry Winks 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-Harry Winks

The simple truth is that Christian Eriksen can’t play every match for Spurs with maximum intensity. While I’m sure the stylish Dane will hate to miss out against West Ham, Pochettino needs to rest him for his own good.

Instead, look for Spurs to turn to Harry Winks in the number ten role. My belief is that if he wants to stay at Tottenham for the long haul he’s going to need to play further forward. This will be one of his first opportunities to move into the attacking midfield trio. Winks may have more riding on this match than any other Spurs player.

Attacking midfielder-Dele Alli

With Eriksen out of the lineup, Pochettino has to keep Dele in the starting XI. The confident English youngster’s hot run of form as of late also makes him a prudent choice to keep in the lineup.

West Ham will do everything they can to pick at Dele early in the match. Moyes will instruct his troops to try their best to goad him into a petulant retaliatory action. That’s a dangerous game for the Hammers. If they do it right, Dele might not finish the match. If it goes awry, he could tear them up for a hat trick.

Attacking midfielder-Heung-Min Son

This is another spot on the pitch where Pochettino could go in a couple of different directions. Ultimately I think it comes down to Lamela versus Son here. Bet on the Korean to win out.

Son’s chances of finishing the match are something different altogether. Look for him to run hard for the first hour or so and do his damnedest to find a goal for his club. After that, someone like Lamela or Sissoko can come in and try to lock the match down for Tottenham.

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