Tottenham Hotspur travel across London to face Chelsea Sunday, with an opportunity to beat his old team, this is who José Mourinho likely starts for the derby.
José Mourinho and Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to get one over on Chelsea Sunday and put a little space between themselves and the Blues at the top of the table. Tottenham is mostly healthy, although Toby Alderweireld is out, Giovani Lo Celso and Hugo Lloris – who both missed Ludogorets Thursday – should be ready to go for Spurs. So, who starts and who is in the substitute seven for this top of the table showdown?
Tottenham Defense and Goal
Chelsea is not the same side as Manchester City, nor are they the same as Ludogorets. With playing a new and different opposition in mind, we get a somewhat shifted team, designed to handle the aggression of the Chelsea attack, and stretch the Blues defensive.
Hugo Lloris (GK)
Hugo Lloris got a shutout in Spurs first game following the international break, then sat out Thursday night in Europe. Presumably, the captain is in fine shape, which would equal his form thus far on the campaign. While some evenings have been incredibly quiet for the skipper, Sunday will be a big test for Spurs and Lloris will likely have to make one or two big saves if Spurs are to win. The Frenchman should be up to the task.
Sergio Reguilón (LB)
Sergio Reguilón was one of several spectators during Thursday’s game looking the coldest of the group. It was a nice evening to have off, but he will have his hands full on Sunday with a pacey and varied Chelsea attack. Reguilón will be tested defensively, but he can also give as good as he gets and will need to do so to help propel Spurs from the wide positions.
Eric Dier (CB)
With Toby Alderweireld out Eric Dier is the official leader of the defense. Maybe the most vocal of the defenders to begin with, Dier has been outstanding this season and has been even more focused the last month as he continues to grow under José Mourinho. Dier is facing a team with superior athleticism on Sunday, he will need to be smart positionally and be the better footballer.
Joe Rodon (CB)
José Mourinho made it sound as if it was nearly a forgone conclusion that Joe Rodon plays on Sunday versus Chelsea. While this could be Davinson Sanchez given his superior athleticism, HotspurHQ is projecting Joe Rodon to get his first Spurs start. Rodon is strong, aggressive, and surprisingly agile for a big guy. Rodon will have a chance to show he belongs quickly and should be up to the task.
Serge Aurier (RB)
After Matt Doherty returned Thursday from his Covid-enforced absence, Serge Aurier got the night off and should be ready to face Chelsea. While Mourinho seemed to be going with an every two game policy with his two right backs, it would make sense to give Doherty more time to recover and go with the fresher Aurier who has been excellent pretty much since Mourinho arrived.
Tottenham Midfielders
Tottenham potentially have some options coming back into the midfield with the re-emergence of Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele playing in a deeper role against Ludogorets. However, on Sunday against Chelsea, José Mourinho goes with what he knows best and puts a familiar three out in the Tottenham midfield.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (CM)
Pierre Højbjerg came on and was super energetic and active in his almost 30 minutes against Ludogorets. While some senior players might loathe the idea of coming on late in a game that is over, Højbjerg seems to relish the opportunity to play and frankly seems bummed he must sit at all. He will not be sitting for the Chelsea game, as Spurs game plan and tactics often revolve around the Danish ball hawk.
Moussa Sissoko (CM)
Moussa Sissoko was another Tottenham regular who got to sit out the entire Thursday night affair. With Ndombele deployed deep with Winks, Sissoko could sit and enjoy the game. Moussa has been highly active all year, but not excellent with the ball. While never to be confused with Ndombele from a skill perspective, Sissoko does have more to contribute offensively than we have seen. We should get a fresh and ready Moussa on Sunday, which is a good thing for Spurs and bad for Chelsea.
Tanguy Ndombele (CAM)
Tanguy Ndombele showed he can do one heck of a job in the deeper midfield position on Thursday evening giving his best Pierre Højbjerg impersonation. That said, there is no doubting that Ndombele is a creative engine for Spurs and has found a nice rhythm and rotation with the attacking trio, regardless of who is deployed. The match-up of Ndombele versus Kante will go a long way in determining the outcome of the match Sunday, our money is on Ndombele.
Hotspur Forwards
Gareth Bale started and played 70 minutes midweek, which makes him more of a threat to come off the bench, but instead Mourinho goes with his strongest possible front three and plays all three national captains together, as Son, Kane, and Bale all start.
Son Heung-Min (LW)
Heung-Min Son continues to shine for Spurs. Still struggling at times with his first touch, when the South Korean gets near the goal he is finishing without remorse. His rocket through the legs of Ederson was just the latest in a long line of excellent shots against helpless keepers. Hopefully, Son gets a couple more chances like that Sunday and can capitalize for Spurs.
Harry Kane (ST)
Harry Kane should be fresh and ready for Chelsea after sitting out in Europa League. Kane is notoriously strong in derby matchups and will be looking to get one over on several of his English teammates that play for Chelsea. Still leading the Premier League in assists Kane will be looking to get to the top of the scoring charts and get a couple against the Blues.
Gareth Bale (RW)
Although Gareth Bale started midweek, he gets another start here on Sunday as Mourinho is looking to get his Welsh winger into top form. Bale showed some pace and an ability to turn the corner against Ludogorets. While Chelsea is a bit better defensively, you can bet Ben Chilwell is hoping it is not Bale. Mourinho pulls out all the stops here and starts the Welshman.
Tottenham Bench
We know we have Joe Hart on the bench and Ben Davies is a near lock for the team, surprisingly with Joe Rodon starting, we think José Mourinho keeps Japhet Tanganga as his second defender on the bench. Tanganga can back-up both Serge Aurier and either center back position, meaning he is more flexible than either Matt Doherty or Davinson Sanchez.
With flexibility in the back with two players that can player inside or out defensively, Mourinho can stack his bench with some real attacking depth. Carlos Vinicius gets a chance after scoring two midweek, also Giovani Lo Celso and Steven Bergwijn who both missed Thursday evening will be there as super subs. Finally, we believe the final spot on the bench is going to go to Dele Alli. This is not because Dele is totally back in the rotation, rather Dele kills Chelsea and if Mourinho needs an in case of emergency break glass option against the Blues, Dele represents it better than anyone.
There is what we think Mourinho will do as he looks to play with and beat Chelsea in a good, old fashioned, game of football. Who do you think José will play?
Starters – 4-2-3-1
Lloris – Aurier – Rodon – Dier – Reguilón – Sissoko – Højbjerg – Ndombele – Son – Kane – Bale
Bench
Hart – Lo Celso – Davies – Vinicius – Bergwijn – Tanganga – Dele