Walker-Peters’ injury could force Tottenham to get creative at right back

Akin to when the unforgiving brights rear their ugly head at closing time, Kyle Walker-Peters’ injury against Newcastle has shone a particularly unflattering light on Tottenham’s right back conundrum. 

Running out of options

The young Englishman pulled up lame with an apparent hamstring problem on Sunday afternoon, leading one to assume that he’ll be out of contention for the short trip to the Emirates. Walker-Peters, with an impressive second half against City, has staked his claim as Mauricio Pochettino’s first choice right back.

Then again, Pochettino, with Juan Foyth sidelined by an ankle injury and Serge Aurier favouring an ailing hand and dented morale, had few options in anointing Walker-Peters as the club’s apex right back. That’s not to take anything away from the 22-year-old, but a palpable lack of competition has unequivocally helped his ascension to top dawg.

So, with Walker-Peters hobbled by a hampered hamstring, who does Pochettino turn to now? The obvious choice is Aurier, whose omission from the squad against Newcastle didn’t go unnoticed. Some reports suggest Aurier is struggling to find fitness after coming back from a hand injury suffered in the Africa Cup of Nations in the summer.

I’m not of that school of thought.

His discontent with the current situation at Spurs is obvious. Wanting out of north London, Aurier, manifesting through petulance and immaturity, is showing his true colours. Those unbecoming, immature character traits are precisely what Tottenham were warned about before signing the troubled Ivorian. Even if Aurier showed the commitment Spurs need, his proclivity for an inexplicable mistake will dissuade the gaffer from selecting him, even in desperation.

Moussa Sissoko as a makeshift right back?

Moussa Sissoko, who replaced Walker-Peters on Sunday, enjoyed his best spell of the match at the unfamiliar position. Blessed with indefatigable power and pace, the Frenchman can seemingly get up and down the wing effortlessly.

While saying Sissoko is fitted with an offensively threatening component to his game might come across as an oxymoron, he has shown the ability to pick out a precise cross from the byline. He’s aggressive, can physically dominate any opponent in a one-on-one battle and isn’t afraid to do the hard yards. While he lacks the deft ball skill of most modern right backs, Sissoko positions himself well and is one of the most defensively responsible players at Pochettino’s disposal.

It would be ludicrous to say Sissoko should switch permanently to right back, but, for lack of better options, it’s certainly worth a try. Foyth will be back within weeks, making Sissoko’s makeshift right back role a temporary fix.

Even if Tanguy Ndombele is unavailable for Arsenal, Tottenham have ample cover in midfield to cope with shifting Sissoko to right back. It would mean Pochettino would have to get tactically creative, making sure Danny Rose is responsible for the lion’s share of offensive forays from the wing.

While Pochettino recently said football managers are not “scientists” and shouldn’t be compared to experimenters, he might be forced to, like Sissoko, do something out of his comfort zone.

And if it means experimenting with an athlete like Sissoko, I’m all for it.