No Center-back Crisis at Tottenham

Even if Toby Alderweireld might miss Tottenham’s upcoming game against Liverpool with an illness, there’s no crisis at the center-back position just yet.

Although the mood seems confident that Toby Alderweireld will be fit for the match against Liverpool on Saturday night, there is still a small panic about him possibly not being ready to play. Even if he is unable to play at Anfield, this is not a crisis and Tottenham can leave Merseyside with all three points.

However, on the off chance that Alderweireld doesn’t play, Tottenham do have enough bodies to cover for him. First of all, Jan Vertonghen was hoping to be healthy by the Liverpool match. So, if news does break that Alderweireld won’t be able to go, and Vertonghen is fit to play, then Spurs fans should feel comfortable with a Wimmer/Vertonghen pairing.

That being said, nothing has come out as of yet saying that he will be ready to play.

But, if by some stroke of luck Spurs do end up having three healthy center-backs by Saturday, it should be expected (hopefully) that Mauricio Pochettino will stick with Kevin Wimmer and Toby Alderweireld.

At least for now. In a match of this magnitude there is no way of knowing exactly if Vertonghen is fully fit and prepared to go 90 minutes against a high-pressing team like Liverpool.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 06: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal takes on Kevin Wimmer of Tottenham during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane on March 6, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) /

On the flip side of that, Wimmer has come in and done a fantastic job alongside Alderweireld since coming on against Crystal Palace back in January. It would be hard to upset that partnership at this crucial junction.

Jan Vertonghen is a world class center-back and there is no argument there, however in this one circumstance, Mauricio Pochettino would be wise to ride the hot hand for at least another week.

But, assuming that neither of the Belgians are fit for Saturday, the ever present Eric Dier can always slot in and handle himself in the center of defense.

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Although he’s only done it three times this season — against Crystal Palace, Colchester United, and Leicester City, all in the FA Cup – Dier spent a good portion of last spring playing center-back.

The bottom line is, it is a job that he can do.

The bigger question, however, is what does playing Dier at center-back do to the rest of the lineup moving forward?

If Dier shifts back, then his defensive midfield responsibilities will most likely be shared between Ryan Mason and Mousa Dembélé. As it stands right now, nobody in the squad fits as a “like-for-like” switch with Eric Dier, and that’s a problem that hopefully can get remedied in the off-season. But as it stands right now Tottenham will have to play a committee at defensive midfield if Dier moves back.

In order to make up for the defensive acumen that Dier brings to the table, however, Dembélé and Mason would essentially need to both play more of a “box-to-box” role instead of dividing their duties as a “defensive” midfielder and an “attacking” midfielder.

There would certainly need to be clear and adequate communication between the two of them, but dividing the defensive responsibilities is much safer than relying on Ryan Mason for them.

Also, bringing Ryan Mason in for Eric Dier allows for Dele Alli to remain in an advanced position and therefore doesn’t disrupt the attacking band, assuming Érik Lamela is still healthy. And playing against a pressing team like Liverpool it will be essential that the group of six players going forward (including the full-backs) work cohesively to break the press and not get caught out themselves.

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All of this is speculation for Toby Alderweireld and him not being in the starting eleven. There is certainly no guarantee, in either direction, about what his status will be come Saturday.

However, it is a pleasant change of pace to know that should injuries occur, the sky doesn’t have to fall and Spurs can continue to pressure Leicester City for the Premier League title.

It has been a season of “pleasant changes of pace” and “firsts in a long time”, here’s hoping it all culminates with a “first time in 55 years”, and having interchangeable parts at several places on the pitch breeds lots of confidence for players and supporters alike.