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Tottenham projected XI at Juventus: Pochettino goes conservative

By Rucker Haringey

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 12: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Tottenham Hotspur FC Training Session ahead of there UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match against Juventus at Allianz Stadium on February 12, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 12: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Tottenham Hotspur FC Training Session ahead of there UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match against Juventus at Allianz Stadium on February 12, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Dusan Tadic of Southampton battles with Heung-Min Son and Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Dusan Tadic of Southampton battles with Heung-Min Son and Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Centre back-Jan Vertonghen

There’s been a lot of crying and gnashing of teeth over Toby Alderweireld’s status for this match. The reality is that Vertonghen is the most important Belgian in Spurs’ back line at the moment.

He’s been nothing short of magnificent during his countryman’s absence. It’s time he starts to get the recognition his play deserves. Perhaps a dominating performance at Juventus will wake the rest of the world up. Neutral fans need to see the brilliance in Vertonghen’s game that Spurs fans appreciate on a weekly basis.

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Centre back-Davinson Sanchez

While Vertonghen is a very safe choice, playing Sanchez in such a large fixture is a bit more of a gamble. The young Colombian has a lot of talent, but he’s never played in such a prestigious fixture.

Fortunately, Sanchez seems to have the mental strength to hold up in Turin. Nothing seems to faze him while he’s on the pitch. He’ll need to keep his head and battle hard to keep Juventus off the score sheet.

Keeper-Hugo Lloris

This is precisely the sort of match that Hugo Lloris craves. He’s stuck through thin times at Tottenham to get to matches just like this. It will be very interesting to see how he performs under such immense pressure.

The truth is we really don’t know how Lloris is going to react to the moment. Pochettino and company certainly hope their French captain will rise to the occasion.

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