Tottenham Are Playing Young Players Because They Deserve It
Tottenham fielding young starting lineups isn’t intentional
Spurs’ starting eleven against Arsenal on Sunday November 8th, in the 177th north London derby between two bitter rivals, featured ten players under the age of 25 split among starters and substitutes. For Tottenham, having a young starting lineup and bench has been the norm for nearly 18 months since Mauricio Pochettino took over as manager and decided to weed out players who didn’t fit his plans.
Players under the age of 25: Dele Alli (19), Eric Dier (21), Christian Eriksen (23), Harry Kane (22) and Érik Lamela (23)
Players at the age of 25 and over: Toby Alderweireld (26), Mousa Dembélé (28), Hugo Lloris (28), Danny Rose (25), Jan Vertonghen (28) and Kyle Walker (25)
Substitutes: Ryan Mason (24), Josh Onomah (18), Son Heung-min (23)
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Collectively as an entire squad, Tottenham has plenty of youth up and down their roster whether they’re established starters, backups or academy graduates. Only a select few could be classified as “veterans” on the team: Dembélé, Lloris, Vertonghen and Michel Vorm (32).
Having this much youth was on full display when Tottenham faced Manchester City on September 26, 2015. The 4-1 win saw Spurs’ average age of 24 years and 40 days old become the youngest starting eleven in the Premier League this season. It’s an accomplishment for Spurs to show that they can win with youth.
Next: Age doesn't matter for Mauricio Pochettino