Tottenham @ Everton Preview and Lineups

Mauricio Pochettino has named an adventurous squad for Tottenham’s trip to Everton, and it’s difficult to imagine how it plays out.

With a midweek fixture against Borussia Dortmund looming for Tottenham in the Champions League, it’s clear that Pochettino has one eye to keeping some players fresh.

Chief among them, evidently, is Mousa Dembélé. The Belgian is benched despite perhaps being the single best individual performer so far for Spurs this season.

More audaciously, he’s replaced by Moussa Sissoko — who, up until as recently as the final day of the transfer window, was rumored to be on his way out from Spurs. This start for the Frenchman comes after a thoroughly lifeless performance on the opening day of the season against his former club Newcastle.

In fairness, in coming on in place of Dembélé, Sissoko will be playing a different role than any he’s been asked to play for Spurs.

Whereas Pochettino has preferred him as a member of the attacking midfield trident, here it appears he will line up deeper in central midfield alongside Eric Dier. Perhaps from there he can replicate some of the ball carrying that makes Dembélé so invaluable to this team.

Also notable in Pochettino’s starting XI is a debut start for Davinson Sánchez. The 21-year-old Colombian became Spurs’ record signing this summer after Ajax agreed to a £42 million transfer fee.

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He will line up as part of a back three with Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. On either side of that defensive core will be the wing-back pair of Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier.

The pair are now the clear back up options for Pochettino as Danny Rose recovers from injury and newcomer Serge Aurier adapts after having only arrived at the club on Thursday.

There are a lot of questions as to how these two significant changes play out on the pitch. Against an Everton side that will likely play it safe, it might not make much of a difference.

The inclusion of Davy Klaasen at the expense of an extra centre-back suggests that Ronald Koeman might want to be a bit more adventurous than previously thought however. Sissoko is going to have to demonstrate some heretofore unproven defensive acumen if he’s going to help contain Everton’s clever top four.

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