Tottenham Hotspur projected XI for season opener vs. Everton
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur are mostly healthy and settled going into the season opener with Everton FC, so who is Jose Mourinho going to play in his starting XI?
Tottenham Hotspur host Everton on Sunday in the first official match of the season for either club.
Everton have been active in the transfer market and brought in a big name who may not be ready for Sunday in James Rodriguez from Real Madrid. Tottenham, on the other hand, have not been the most active team in the transfer market, nor have they been completely silent as they were a few years ago, but still have work to do.
Even with the three new additions thus far in the transfer window, Spurs are a relatively settled squad and most of the projected XI for the opener is easy to predict. So who is making the starting XI, who is serving as a substitute, and who is staying in the stands on Sunday afternoon?
Tottenham defense
One of the first names on the team sheet must be the World Cup winner and team captain Hugo Lloris, who barring another major injury should be in for a bounce-back season with Spurs. While Lloris was rarely tested in pre-season, his recent international work with the French National team should have Hugo ready to go.
While there are some new options available along the backline with the addition of Matt Doherty from Wolverhampton as well as questions if Jose might try and deploy a back three, the four that line up should be very familiar to Tottenham faithful. Anticipate seeing a hold-over back-line where the four players look very much like what we saw over much of Project Restart with Serge Aurier, Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier, and Ben Davies to line up in a back four.
As we have seen on “All or Nothing”, expect Serge Aurier to continue to push up the right flank when Spurs have the ball, allowing the team to shift into a back three, with Davies tucking in. While some may expect Matt Doherty to make his debut and what little we saw of Serge in preseason was not great, the job is Serge’s to lose. I have a hard time believing a player at the club less than a month and gone for a week on international duty starts over Aurier.
The other three spots are pretty much known at least for now. I say for now, because the fixture congestion on the near horizon is going to mean a lot of rotation across the squad including the defense. For the first game however, Mourinho goes with what he knows, but Doherty makes the bench as does Davinson Sanchez, and Paulo Gazzaniga.
Spurs pivot
Bringing in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg provides some real flexibility for Jose Mourinho that has not existed at Tottenham since Mousa Dembele left and Victor Wanyama physically broke down, which is the option to play with a single deep lying midfielder protecting the back line.
I am confident we will see both PEH and Harry Winks at times in a single pivot, against the right team, but as far as the opener is concerned against what should be a veteran, attack-minded Everton squad, expect to see the double pivot with both Hojbjerg and Harry Winks.
Hojbjerg featured in several of the preseason friendlies and looked like he had been part of the squad for years. Winks, on the other hand, only played in the first preseason match, but is available and has the experience and steadiness required in the opener.
With Giovani Lo Celso injured and Dele Alli likely to be deployed further up the pitch, Tanguy Ndombele is likely to be the only like-for-like option available on the bench. Harvey White has been good in preseason but is not likely to make the gameday 18 unless Ndombele is unavailable.
Tottenham attack
With the midfield anchored with the double pivot, Mourinho can commit four players to the attack. As with most of the rest of the team, this group should not come as much of a surprise to anyone. Expect to see Harry Kane leading the line as the striker, with Alli lined up centrally behind him, along with Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura on the left and right flanks.
With this front four, expect to see more of Kane fighting for headers and checking back to the ball to be a playmaker while Dele, Son, and Lucas run over the top and in the channels. When this is on, Kane will do some distributing from the middle third of the pitch and then ideally see it again in the final third. Everton is strong in the midfield and attack, but can be attacked, which is what Spurs need to do, attack.
Steven Bergwijn has been impressive in limited minutes this preseason, but we know Jose prefers Moura. Besides Bergwijn, Erik Lamela should make the bench along with Ryan Sessegnon. All three of these players have the flexibility to play multiple positions on the pitch for Spurs.
Bergwijn can play on the wing as he has done mostly for Spurs or lead the line like he did recently in international play for the Netherlands. Likewise, Lamela is capable of slotting in anywhere in the front four rotation and Sessegnon can play either wing, striker, or fullback if push comes to shove.
Tottenham players in the stands
Given the squad matchday team being reduced back to 18 from the 20 during the restart and the fact that Spurs do have a little depth, some names will simply not make the team sheet. The two biggest of which are Giovani Lo Celso – who is unavailable due to injuries – and Danny Rose – who the team has tried to make available to anyone other than Jose Mourinho.
Additionally, Gedson Fernandes, Japhet Tanganga, Jack Clarke, Dennis Cirkin, Juan Foyth, and Harvey White all miss out on the action, but all should have opportunities in the weeks to come. What Mourinho has right now that he might not in a couple weeks is choice. It is that choice that helps Mourinho overcome Carlo Ancelotti in the battle of two of the best coaches in the world.
Predicted line-up
4-2-3-1
Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Davies, Hojbjerg, Winks, Moura, Dele, Son, Kane
Bench: Gazzaniga, Sanchez, Doherty, Sessegnon, Bergwijn, Lamela, Ndombele