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Tottenham must give this starlet a chance against Newport County

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Kyle Walker-Peters of Tottenham Hotspur and Minas Antoniou of Apoel FC during 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 Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Kyle Walker-Peters of Tottenham Hotspur and Minas Antoniou of Apoel FC during 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 Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham owe Kyle Walker-Peters a start

Mauricio Pochettino knows Tottenham fans are desperate for a trophy. That’s why the club must win at Newport County to advance in the FA Cup. Even so, Pochettino needs to hand Kyle Walker-Peters a much-deserved start in the competition.

It’s safe to say this season hasn’t gone according to plan for the young Englishman. He’s only managed to make two appearances in Premier League play for Pochettino this year for a grand total of 98 minutes. Don’t forget, 90 of those minutes came in the club’s opening match of the year at Newcastle. For what it’s worth, Walker-Peters was good enough to earn Man of the Match honours against the Magpies.

Some Spurs fans thought that his performance didn’t quite deserve such plaudits, but there’s no denying he played a terrific match. That’s precisely why Walker-Peters has earned the right to be frustrated at his minimal role for Tottenham this year.

On the other hand, it’s hard to argue against the way Pochettino has deployed the right backs at his disposal. Kieran Trippier began the year as a starter and performed reasonably well. He lacks the athleticism to really thrive in Pochettino’s high-tempo system, but the Argentine gaffer got everything he could out of the English international during the season’s opening months.

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Lately, Serge Aurier has managed to grab the starting role away from Trippier. He is by far the best athlete of the two, but he is prone to a reckless challenge upon occasion. Unfortunately, he was forced to come off with a leg injury in the club’s last match at Southampton.

His injury provides Pochettino with a perfect opportunity to give Walker-Peters a start. Newport County will be a tough environment for Spurs, but it’s a match the club can use to really test Walker-Peters’ mental strength. You simply can’t simulate the kind of environment the match will present in training.

If Tottenham want to keep Walker-Peters in the squad for the long haul, they have to give him regular playing time. Given the high stakes of Premier League action for Spurs as the season progresses, the FA Cup gives Pochettino with his best opportunity to challenge Walker-Peters in an actual match.

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It won’t surprise me if Trippier gets the starting nod due to his experience, but Walker-Peters deserves to be in the starting XI at Newport County.

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