Troy Parrott and Japhet Tanganga must start for Tottenham at Colchester

Troy Parrott and Japhet Tanganga both enjoyed excellent preseasons for Tottenham. Both starlets must start on Tuesday at Colchester United. 

Tottenham will travel to Colchester United today as a club in desperate need of some momentum. That might tempt Mauricio Pochettino to play a strong side against the League Two club. If he leaves out either Troy Parrott or Japhet Tanganga it would be a huge mistake for the club.

The good news is that it appears both men will be involved or Spurs in the Carabao Cup fixture. According to Football London, both players were omitted from Tottenham’s U23 squad against Leicester City this week. That seems to be a clear indication that Pochettino has other plans for both youngsters this week.

The obvious answer is that the embattled manager intends to play both on Tuesday evening. It’s not enough for Pochettino to simply have them on the bench and give them late cameos. Both players deserve the chance to start. Their solid work during the preseason combined with their sheer level of talent qualify them for the opportunity.

Of the two, Parrott is clearly the more well-known player. He’s lit up the score sheet for Spurs during his time with the Academy and he’s been prolific for the Ireland youth setup as well. Parrott saw a bit of time for Spurs during preseason and looked right at home alongside the first team players. It’s a bit disappointing that he hasn’t at least made the bench up until now. Pochettino has talked openly about wanting to take things slow with the talented striker, but his lack of options behind Harry Kane may ultimately cause him to ditch that well-intentioned philosophy.

Tanganga was a relatively unknown Academy player before bursting onto the scene during the club’s preseason. His combination of physicality and calmness on the ball makes him an intriguing prospect at centre back. Tottenham happen to be relatively well stocked there at the moment, but the futures of both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are very much up in the air. It would be wise for Pochettino to get Tanganga ready in case he’s needed due to injury or departures this year.

Spurs fans understandably want to make sure the club hammer their undermanned opposition today, but they can’t afford to miss the chance to give this talented pair of youngster some serious match time. Doing so might risk their willingness to stick with the club for the long haul.