Spurs Win But A Couple of Tweaks to the Lineup Are Needed

Spurs come back to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 and continue their hunt for a potential Premier League title.

Wow! So that goal by Dele Alli has to be a candidate for goal of the year right? Anyways, moving on to some important things following today’s win.

This game was another one that Tottenham couldn’t lose, let alone draw. A win was needed in order to keep their title hopes alive in the Premier League. And after losing to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last season, getting some revenge doesn’t hurt either. So now after the reverse fixture being a 1-0 win for Spurs, Tottenham have completed the double over the Eagles.

But in all honesty, this game shouldn’t have gone the way that it did as soon as it reached half-time. Meaning, for a Tottenham team who has dominated their opponents in each game since the new year started, they have found ways to either be level or are trailing after 45 minutes.

For whatever reason this has become a consistent theme since 2016 began and it is a worrying sign despite this latest win. It might show a team that is slowly starting to feel fatigued from playing too many games and getting little rotation. Now with a congested schedule only getting worse as the FA Cup continues and the Europa League returns, changes have to be made.

So what should Mauricio Pochettino do?

For starters, keep Dele Alli on the pitch but have him drop deeper into central midfield. After today’s game he fully deserves to remain in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting eleven because he brings great energy and another attacking threat into the lineup.

However, the reason he shouldn’t play as the team’s attacking midfield is so that Christian Eriksen can move back inside to have Nacer Chadli return. It might be too early to say that the Belgium midfielder is back, but with two goals in his last two games and making an instant impact following his introduction today, how can he not find his way into the starting lineup again?

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Obviously, the thought that Mousa Dembélé will become a bench player again if Dele Alli starts alongside Eric Dier will be a tough pill to swallow because he’s done well to return as a starter. Especially if he’s fit and how he can help defend and hold onto the ball with his balance and strength.

But he shouldn’t start at the expense of a team that needs as much attacking players as possible. Considering what’s currently happening this month alone: Spurs dominate opponents but are level or trail at half-time.

This is a way to help Harry Kane get more service, but to also have a diverse attack.

Think about it this way: Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Nacer Chadli all can score goals. So why not put all of them on the pitch at the same time?

Érik Lamela can also score goals yes, but in the past couple of games, his form is dipping just a tad bit and the Argentine winger could benefit with some rest and having a legitimate competition with Son Heung-min vying for his spot after Clinton N’Jie was injured and Andros Townsend frozen out of the team.

And while putting all of Spurs’ best attacking players on the pitch will weaken the bench, as there would be no super-sub who can score right away. It’s becoming clear that Tottenham are lacking in goalscorers to prevent a situation such as today, where they dominated Crystal Palace and trailed heading into the break.

It’s now time for Mauricio Pochettino to take advantage of the fact that his squad has turned it up a notch in both the Premier League and FA Cup but had to really fight hard for a draw or even a win. Not to mention Pochettino being adamant that new signings might not help the club win a Premier League title anyways.

Next: Let Us Bask in the Light of Alli's Goal for Spurs

Of course, to make things easier for a Premier League title, focusing only on the top flight and foregoing the FA Cup and Europa League is an option — as ludicrous as it sounds. However, because the entire club wants to do good in all three competitions, Pochettino can no longer look at his lineup and continue to play the same players.

Rotation is a must and two players who deserve a chance to return into the starting eleven following this game is Nacer Chadli and Son Heung-min. Dembélé and Lamela as substitution players wouldn’t be too bad.