Tottenham Projected XI for Saturday Afternoon Versus Leeds
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Bench and Full XI
With some of the potential rotation players back on the bench and both Brazilians again available for selection there should be plenty of firepower on Spurs bench. We know Joe Hart will be there along with likely four defenders. We know José likes having auxiliary wingers and who better than Ben Davies and Matt Doherty. Thanks to his flexibility to play almost anywhere in the back six, Japhet Tanganga also gets the nod along with Joe Rodon, who was unfortunate to get a real chance midweek.
If Erik Lamela is starting then Steven Bergwijn will be one of the players on the bench, as Mourinho wants options. Add in the two Brazilians Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius who both seem to be available again and you have a mostly set team. The final slot on the bench comes down to either Dele Alli or Harry Winks. With Bergwijn and Moura available on the bench and no deeper midfielders – despite Tanganga’s potential- Winks gets the final slot.
Spurs were found short in the center of the park on offense when both Lo Celso and Ndombele were out, but Kane can always drop deep more often and Spurs can find other ways to cover. While the ninth man on the bench is a seemingly insignificant decision, the reality is, those two extra slots are there for a reason and it is up to teams to decide what they want to do with them, for Spurs Saturday, it is about protection, so Winks gets that final call.