Tottenham projected XI at Rochdale: Son rises to the top

Tottenham will play a rotated, but strong XI at Rochdale

Mauricio Pochettino is right when he says that Tottenham have more important competitions than the FA Cup to worry over, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to give Rochdale a pass tomorrow. Instead, look for Spurs to start a heavily rotated squad that still possesses quite a bit of quality.

The most important change to Tottenham’s starting XI will be the removal of Harry Kane. The English striker suffered a minor ankle injury at Juventus and will likely be left in North London as a result. Even if Kane were fully fit, Pochettino would be tempted to give him the weekend off.

The lack of Kane in the starting XI will lead many people to believe Fernando Llorente will start in his place. I’m not buying that. Instead, I believe Heung-Min Son will start up top. The Korean was disappointed not to get the start in Turin so Pochettino will give him the opportunity to lead the line tomorrow. Starting at Rochdale isn’t quite the same as starting at Juventus, but it’s better than nothing.

Read on to discover which other players might be rested by Pochettino. I’ll give you a subtle hint. You’ll see far more first team regulars in the starting XI than you might think. Of course, this is also arguably Pochettino’s deepest squad at Spurs.