Tottenham projected XI at Watford: Pochettino will shuffle his midfield

Tottenham head to Watford on Sunday in a tangle between two unbeaten sides. Look for Mauricio Pochettino to shake up his midfield.

Not many pundits or fans would have pegged Tottenham at Watford in matched four as a battle of unbeatens. Fortunately for fans of both clubs, that’s just what this match represents. Expect Mauricio Pochettino to make some subtle shifts to his tactics against the Hornets.

The real question for the Argentine gaffer will be what formation he chooses to deploy at Vicarage Road. He used four at the back at Old Trafford. Expect him to opt for that setup again on Sunday. That means he’ll need to select two defensive midfielders to shield his back line.

Without a doubt, let’s start by taking a look at who Tottenham will start up top and in goal.

Striker-Harry Kane

At some point, Pochettino is going to need to find some rest for his English talisman. Don’t expect it to happen this early in the campaign. Perhaps he’ll find himself on the bench for an odd match or two once Son Heung-Min returns, but certainly not before.

That means Kane will lead the line against the Watford defence. Look for him to spend a lot of time trying to pull Abdoulaye Doucoure and Etienne Capoue out of their positions deep in the midfield. They’ll be a much bigger concern that Watford’s centre back pairing.

Keeper-Michel Vorm

There’s not much drama here. Pochettino made it clear Hugo Lloris will miss the match due to injury in his pre-match press conference. Some Spurs fans might prefer to see Paulo Gazzaniga get the nod here, but that won’t happen.

Instead, look for Vorm to get the token start. He shouldn’t face too many shots against the Hornets, but he’ll need to stand tall on the handful of occasions where he’s required to leap into action.