With the impending fixture congestion awaiting Tottenham Hotspur across the start of the season, Spurs need two complete XIs to compete, but do they have it?
Normally a squad does not need to be 22 deep and even with the expanded rosters from the end run of last season, only 20 players could be on the team sheet at once. However, after the abrupt stop and start from the 2019-20 season, already the 2020-21 season is not a normal season.
Add in the twin qualifying campaigns that will soon commence in the Europa League and League Cup with the potential for matches on back-to-back nights; suddenly Tottenham Hotspur looks like a team in need of two XIs. And with a back-to-back this weekend in preseason, now is the time to consider fielding two squads.
Please note: I have not included youth/academy players in this assessment, only players in the senior first-team squad.
Who is available for Tottenham right now?
Assuming injuries are not an issue and the requisite quarantines are completed, Tottenham Hotspur should have enough players to create two full sides within the team. If you look at Spurs’ first-team on the website, there are some 27 players listed – not including Oliver Skipp who is on loan at Norwich. With 27 players they should be okay, but then you realize four of those 27 are keepers in Hugo Lloris, Joe Hart, Paulo Gazzaniga, and Alife Whiteman.
So, we are now down to 23 field players to occupy 20 slots, which should be okay, but then will Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jack Clarke, and Danny Rose be on the team in two weeks – as all were loaned out last season?
Let us just assume all three stay and play for Jose Mourinho and Spurs for the sake of conversation, knowing any of the three could be gone and maybe someone new would be in their place. Of course, the same could be said for Serge Aurier and Tanguy Ndombele, but they were both in the squad last season and are Spurs until we are otherwise notified.
Here is the breakdown of our 27 players by position:
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris, Joe Hart, Paulo Gazzaniga, and Alfie Whiteman
Fullback: Danny Rose and Serge Aurier
Center-half: Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, and Cameron Carter-Vickers
Miscellaneous Defender: Juan Foyth, Ben Davies, and Japhet Tanganga
Midfielder: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Giovanni Lo Celso, Ryan Sessegnon, Tanguy Ndombele, and Gedson Fernandes
Attack: Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane, Erik Lamela, Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, and Jack Clarke
Given that roster, here are the two sides broken down by Defense, Midfield, and Offense.
Spurs’ two defensive units
Given the overall imbalance in the squad, clearly Spurs are going to have to play some folks out of position, like we saw with Gedson Fernandes playing what some could call right fullback against Ipswich in the preseason opener. Thus, even if the player is not really a fullback, at current that is what Tottenham has available.
Before we get to the actual defense, we have Hugo and Joe Hart as the two starters in goal. I just get the sense Jose is going to favor Joe, but we will see and either way both sides have two keepers, so we are good there.
The starting back four should be Serge Aurier, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, and Ben Davies given everything. Opposite that four we would have Gedson Fernandes, Juan Foyth, Eric Dier, and Japhet Tanganga. What we see with these two fours is a lack of any real experience behind the starting full backs and a lack of left-sided players. This was clear last season as well; I suppose growth and development is what is supposed to help Spurs overcome this issue.
By moving Gedson back into the defense, that still leaves Danny Rose and CCV on the outside looking in. Maybe Rose has something to offer as a left-sided player who is a true fullback. However, I have a hard time seeing how CCV is going to crack a center-half rotation that is already full given Foyth and Tanganga can be added to Dier, Alderweireld and Sanchez. Of course, just as Gedson is being used at right back, maybe it is Ryan Sessegnon who covers the left side, which provides more depth and flexibility than currently exists in the defensive changing room.
So, while Spurs can manage to produce two relatively solid defensive units, there are a few folks out of position and the issue at fullback may persist if Gedson cannot cover the right and Tanganga or Sessegnon cannot cover the left. If they can, Tottenham may have saved some money, if they cannot the defense may be thin and porous all season long.
Spurs’ engine room
The reality is Tottenham is trying to play with two central midfielders and then push the rest of the players up into attack. This would allow at least four players to always be more offensively inclined. This presumes a back four, while a true back three would help to push five players into attack as Spurs continue to sit with the double pivot.
There are lots of options for Jose Mourinho for his pivot, the most likely starting combination we saw in the victory over Ipswich in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks. Together the players provide a range of passing, tackling and tenacity that creates for a dynamic midfield that can both protect the back line and push the ball forward.
If Winks and Hojbjerg are the pivot for one Spurs XI, that means we have Moussa Sissoko and someone to man that pivot for the other XI. Presumably, either Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso would take on that role. However, unless new creative energy is brought into the team – Pizzi anyone? – Lo Celso is likely to be pushed further up the pitch and participate in the attack, versus sit back as a holding midfielder. So that leaves Sissoko and Ndombele, which could be dynamic or could be disastrous depending on the day for Moussa and the effort level for Tanguy.
If Jose was looking to be even more offensive on a given matchday I could see a straight three-man midfield as part of a 4-3-3 formation, which would give us PEH in the middle of the midfield three and allow for more attacking nous to get on the pitch with someone like Sessegnon or maybe Lo Celso to play on the outside of the three and support the wingers.
Tottenham have some familiar and big names to line-up in the midfield and depending on the formation can field a group that should be able to compete with almost anyone, if they play up to their level.
Tottenham Hotspur attack
There are two keys for the Tottenham attack, one is to get numbers against the opposition and the more Spurs can rely on just one of the two in the pivot to sit allowing the other to attack, the more often five players will be involved, which is ideal for the offense.
We know Harry Kane is the tip of the sword for one team, playing the striker role. Of course, who that other striker would be for the second XI is a mystery. While any of Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn, or Lucas Moura in theory can and have played in that role, the reality is Tottenham only have ONE recognized first-team striker on the squad in Kane. So, no matter who is left from the attackers to lead the second line, it is not a striker and necessitates changes to the attack. This is STILL a major hole and MUST be addressed prior to the season.
Outside of the questions around who can replace, support, supplement, dare I say supplant Harry Kane, it’s who is going to sit in the hole behind him. It used to be easy to say that was Dele Alli and despite his renaissance for part of last season, the idea of penciling Dele in as a nailed starter has not existed for nearly two seasons.
So, who plays in that role support the striker and surging the attack, my money is still on Dele Alli, however, I would think we will see quite a bit of Giovani Lo Celso or Erik Lamela in that role as well and maybe even some of Bergwijn. The starting wings seem clear in Moura and Son, with Bergwijn the one known back-up there.
Spurs have Kane, Dele, Lucas, and Son leading one line and then Lo Celso, Bergwijn, and Lamela on the other, without a striker. This means we now move Bergwijn up to striker, push Lamela out to the left, Lo Celso central and give some minutes to young Jack Clarke. Maybe this ends up being Gedson or Sessegnon playing here as well, splitting times as wingbacks and wings, but for simplicity, we will call it Clarke.
Spurs’ two squad XIs
Here are the two sides:
Side 1
Keeper – Lloris
Defense – Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies
Midfield – Hojbjerg, Winks
Attack – Son, Dele, Moura, Kane
Side 2
Keeper – Hart
Defense – Gedson, Foyth, Dier, Tanganga
Midfield – Sissoko, Ndombele
Attack – Clarke, Lo Celso, Lamela, Bergwijn
Bench
Gazzaniga, Whiteman, Rose, Carter-Vickers
What do you think, can Tottenham legitimately field two competitive XIs, or at least competitive enough to compete in the League Cup and Europa League qualifying with a second team?
Can Spurs makeshift a second striker again? Is Gazzaniga third string to Joe Hart? Lots to talk about, but hopefully we discuss some new transfers first.