Tottenham at Rochdale: 5 Spurs issues to watch in the FA Cup clash

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TURIN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 12: Harry Winks of Tottenham Hotspur trains 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) /

3. Can Winks get back in the mix?

It wasn’t so long ago when Harry Winks looked like he was ready to grab a spot in Pochettino’s starting XI by the scruff of the neck. Unfortunately, an untimely injury has him on the fringes of the first team squad at the moment.

That statement might seem harsh to many of you, but who would you play him in front of? Mousa Dembele has been downright imperious as of late. Winks isn’t going to make many teams ahead of Victor Wanyama or Eric Dier either. If the young Englishman wants playing time moving forward, he’ll need a solid showing at Rochdale.

Unfortunately, he might be the Spurs player most affected by a bad pitch. It’s possible the new ground at Rochdale will play smoothly, but that’s not the most likely outcome. Winks will need to concentrate mightily to keep possession despite a questionable playing surface.

The key for Winks will be to pick his spots. He can’t try to dominate the entire match like Luka Modric or Christian Eriksen would. Winks only needs to be a cog in Pochettino’s XI. A solid seven or eight out of ten would do wonders for Winks’ chances of getting back into the Tottenham squad this year.

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