Mauricio Pochettino has big decisions to make ahead of the North London Derby, but Jan Vertonghen’s status will determine Tottenham’s strategy.
Tottenham have a number of issues to fix after their ugly 2-0 loss at Chelsea on Wednesday. At least some of Spurs’ issues against the Blues can be attributed to Jan Vertonghen’s absence. Whether or not he’s fit to face Arsenal will go a long way towards determining how Mauricio Pochettino plays things against the Gunners.
Fortunately for Tottenham fans, Pochettino is hopeful that Vertonghen can feature against his North London rivals on the weekend. The Belgian defender missed out against the Blues due to a hip issue, but it’s thought to be relatively minor. Of course, further testing will occur this week to determine Vertonghen’s status ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash.
On a very basis level, his fitness will likely determine which formation Pochettino chooses to deploy. If Vertonghen is in the starting XI, look for Spurs to play a back three. Toby Alderweireld may have been beaten for Chelsea’s opening goal, but he is the club’s most accomplished central defender. It’s hard to imagine him now starting against Arsenal if he’s fit.
Davinson Sanchez was arguably Tottenham’s best player in the Chelsea debacle. Dropping him after such a solid performance would be a very harsh choice by Pochettino. That’s exactly why the Argentine gaffer would prefer to start Vertonghen, Alderweireld and Sanchez together in his back three.
Pochettino hopeful Vertonghen can return for the north London derby. "Yesterday [Tuesday] he felt a problem with his hip, so he's not available," he explained. "Hopefully, it's not a big issue and he can be available for the next game."#COYS
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) February 28, 2019
Doing so would also provide a ton of support to Kieran Trippier at the right back position. He was truly awful against Chelsea even if you chalk up his own goal as bad luck. If he’s in the starting XI against the Gunners he’ll be targeted repeatedly by Unai Emery’s squad. If Pochettino wants to keep the England international on the pitch due to his ability to deliver a quality cross, he’ll have to provide him a ton of defensive support. Playing Trippier at right wing back minimizes his obvious weaknesses.
If Vertonghen can’t play, it leaves Pochettino with a really tough decision. He could simply elect to play Juan Foyth in the back three instead. He lacks the physicality to handle some Premier League attackers, but Arsenal really don’t rely on a burly centre forward. He’s a reasonable selection against a finesse based attack.
Otherwise, Tottenham, may feel compelled to drop Trippier. Playing Serge Aurier at right back would give the club a much more athletic right back, but his mental frailty might really show up in such an intense match. Young Kyle Walker-Peters might be an interesting play but we can’t see Pochettino taking that big a risk.
Add it all up and Vertonghen’s status should dominate Tottenham’s thinking ahead of the North London Derby. Pochettino needs his Belgian stalwart back in the starting XI to fix the team’s issues in the short-term.