Which Spurs Players Will Make Way for Son and Eriksen?
By Ryan Wrenn
Mousa Dembélé
In many ways the case for not including Dembélé is the opposite of the case against Nacer Chadli.
Dembélé’s workrate is unquestionable. He has bought into Pochettino’s system perhaps more than any other player on Tottenham’s roster. Unfortunately, doing so has meant that his already paltry offensive contribution has dropped even further.
Though he’s been nominally playing in a right wing role, Dembélé has often dropped deep into the midfield and assists Ryan Mason and Eric Dier in their efforts to reclaim the ball when Spurs are out of possession. While such efforts have unquestionably been one of the team’s bright spots so far this season, that effort doesn’t often produce the concrete results Tottenham also need from a player in such an attacking position.
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Eriksen might not have Dembélé’s aggressiveness in the press, but his contributions going forward are far more robust. He can be expected to come in for the Belgian, though that might not be the end of Dembélé’s role in the starting XI. It’s conceivable that he drops into deeper midfield and supplants Ryan Mason, if not on a regular basis then certainly in games that demand more bite in the center of the pitch.
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