FA Cup Affords Tottenham Chance to Test New Players and Roles

By Ryan Wrenn | Jan 27, 2017

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 17: (L-R) Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Marcus Edwards and Mousa Dembele of Tottenham Hotspur warm up during a Tottenham Hotspur training session and press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen at BayArena on October 17, 2016 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Lukas Schulze/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Much like their encounter in the EFL Cup earlier this season with Gillingham, Tottenham have room to experiment this Saturday against Wycombe Wanderers.

The FA Cup match comes just three days prior to Tottenham’s trip to Sunderland, so Mauricio Pochettino will undoubtedly take this chance to rest key players. You can check out our lineup preview here for further information on how the starting XI will be made up.

The purpose of this article, however, is to discuss how Tottenham might look different tactically. While there are plenty of like-for-like replacements available to Pochettino, there are also some tantalizing opportunities to test new methods.

Shape is the most obvious place to start. Pochettino’s recently embrace of the 3-4-2-1 should persist, if only for rotational players to get used to the feel of it.

Certain options available to Pochettino could make that formation feel different than it would with Tottenham’s typical starters.

Michel Vorm should come in for Hugo Lloris in goal. The Dutchman proved in his brief stint in the starting XI to start the season that he’s capable of a surprisingly rangy game. No one is equal to Lloris is this regard though, so the players at centre-back will perhaps be a touch more cautious than they would be were the Frenchman behind them.

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Among those players is expected to be youngster Cameron Carter-Vickers. The American featured before in Tottenham’s EFL Cup and FA Cup matches, so his inclusion shouldn’t create too much upheaval.

A player that might is Ben Davies. Pochettino touted the left-back as a possible replacement for Jan Vertonghen as the Belgian is down injured. It was Kevin Wimmer who came into the side against Manchester City, but his removal at half-time suggests that Pochettino might be anxious to explore his options.

Compared to Wimmer, Davies is the more vertical, positive player. His skills as a full-back should translate to more movement up the pitch and thus more pressure on the opposing midfield. Against a team like Wycombe, that might be favored over caution.

How Pochettino compensates for Davies’ absence in the left wing-back role is harder to figure. Danny Rose should be rested, which could mean an improvised role for the likes of Heung-min Son or Georges-Kévin Nkoudou. Either players relative lack of defensive nous is likely to mean less than it would in a game against tougher opponents.

Their involvement, either in place of Davies or in a more advanced role behind supposed starting striker Vincent Janssen, will provide Tottenham they often lack: pure attacking width.

With Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli assisting Harry Kane in a narrow attack, often Tottenham’s only presence near the flanks are the full-backs. With Son or Nkoudou, Tottenham would have players with more than just clever cross or the ability to stretch play.

As was discussed in the lineup article, Pochettino is short of options in one area of the pitch: central midfield. Eric Dier’s return to the defense and the sale of Tom Carroll mean that the only “proper” central midfielders available are Mousa Dembélé, Victor Wanyama and Harry Winks.

Of those three, only Winks can be expected to line up on Saturday. Dembélé and Wanyama are too important to the regular starting lineup to not be rested for a match against a League Two side.

Next: Mauricio Pochettino Press Conference: Tottenham vs Wycombe

Who operates alongside Winks is the question then, and the clearest answer available is Mousa Sissoko. The Frenchman moonlighted in that position occasionally with Newcastle. Indeed, he might be better suited for that than he is in Tottenham’s attack, where his lack of pace leaves him standing out in a bad way.

Taken together, these changes would represent a different take on Tottenham’s usual game. Beyond being able to accommodate more bench and youth team players, it also gives Pochettino ideas for how he can switch things up should Plan A fail to deliver in any given match.