With Cup Final Birth at Stake Rotation Can Wait for Tottenham

Midweek games have been the time for Tottenham Hotspur to do most of their rotation this season, Tuesday is not the day for it, as Spurs look to reach a final.

We know José Mourinho has a special affinity for the League Cup, having won it four times in his career. Likewise, Tottenham have won the League Cup four times, although Mourinho has won it twice since Spurs last hoisted the trophy in 2008.  With an opportunity to get just one win from a trophy on the line, do not expect the normal weekday rotation from Tottenham.

Most Starters Known

As we reflected in our projected XI, most of the starters for Tottenham are known. At this point there are essentially seven nailed on starters for this match. You have Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier, Pierre Højbjerg, Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane, and Tanguy Ndombele who are pretty much the core six.

For this match you can add in Serge Aurier, as Matt Doherty is not available due to his red card suspension from Saturday. With essentially seven of the 11 positions known before Mourinho really starts working on his plan for the game, it does not leave much room for rotation.

A Few Opportunities

With four positions left the question is if there is really any rotation with those spots either. Toby Alderweireld is the oldest on field starter on the team and could see some rest as he has often been rested when Eric Dier has not. However, the question is if José Mourinho trusts Davinson Sanchez in this key moment in the season and frankly Mourinho’s tenure.

Davinson Sanchez was the choice against Wolves when Spurs went with a back three and then was partnered with Dier in the back four against Stoke in the quarterfinals of this same competition. While we projected Sanchez to start, do not be surprised to see Alderweireld against Ivan Toney, who uses little touches, likes to get fouled, and pressures the ball.

Besides center back there is the question of who plays next to Pierre Højbjerg in the midfield for Spurs. Winks was effective without being on the ball a lot for an hour on the weekend, but it has been Sissoko most of the season. If Winks starts it could reflect a changing of the pecking order in the deep midfield.

Likewise, there are questions about who will play opposite Heung-Min Son. Whether Mourinho was laying groundwork for Bergwijn to be left out of the squad or just covering for a player misfiring in the final third we may find out of Bergwijn plays. Likely Lucas Moura get and with the expanded bench, there are is plenty of cover behind him.

Finally, given Ben Davies and Sergio Reguilón are more of a platoon than a real rotation to bring in squad players, it is hard to call either starting a real surprise. What all this means is that it is unlikely we will see Carlos Vinicius or Dele Alli starting in a game of this magnitude. While the big bench is a plus for getting to see some other players, expect Mourinho and Spurs to come out with who he thinks is his best XI, available of course.