Tottenham projected XI at Chelsea: Will Kane make surprise start?

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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 25: Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur (R) breaks away from James McArthur of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on February 25, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) /

Defensive midfielder-Mousa Dembele

Pochettino will trust Dembele not to try to gouge anyone’s eyes out during this match. He made himself a bit of a cult hero among the Tottenham faithful when he did just that to Diego Costa, but once is more than enough.

Instead, Pochettino will trust Dembele to anchor his defensive midfield in this match. He will be the key figure trusted to transition the ball from defence to attack. Dembele must be decisive with the ball for the full 90 minutes. If he hesitates on the ball and gets caught out it could be fatal for Spurs.

Defensive midfielder-Eric Dier

I might prefer to see Victor Wanyama in this spot, but Dier is the more likely selection from Pochettino. He will want the Englishman in the starting XI to lead his squad emotionally against their bitter rivals.

Dier will be deployed in a more defensive position than Dembele. He will be expected to stay back and cover Tottenham’s back four during most of the match. Dier needs to make sure he doesn’t get too ambitious in joining the attack. If he gets caught out of position it’s going to leave Tottenham’s goal in a precarious position.

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