Tottenham Squad Players Can Benefit from Expanded Bench

Just a day before Tottenham is set to play Brentford in the semis of the Carabao Cup the rules have changed to allow for five subs and nine bench players.

While the Premier League has expanded the size of the bench this season from seven to nine, the league did not increase the actual number of substitutes available to a team. However, for the final two matches of the Carabao Cup, not only are teams allowed to name nine substitutes, but they can also use five subs in a match. A combination of injuries and extra subs may give some players a chance.

Not Available for Duty

The list of players not available for Tottenham on Tuesday night seems to be expanding by the day. Currently Giovani Lo Celso and Gareth Bale are both out with injuries. Erik Lamela is out based on the words of coach Mourinho, but we do not have an exact reason.

Add to those three Joe Rodon being ineligible for the Carabao Cup having already played in it and Matt Doherty now being out due to his red card from Saturday. With five players completely unavailable and now an extended bench, maybe we see some names we do not regularly see and more importantly, maybe some of them get to play with two extra substitutes allowed.

Well Known but Rarely Seen

At this point there are some names that are remarkably familiar to Tottenham fans, but the faces of the players may not be as clear given the lack of time many have received this season. While Harry Winks seems to have worked his way back into the midfield rotation, it remains to be seen whether Dele Alli has done so as well. It is likely both are in the squad Tuesday but would not be surprising if neither started.

Besides Dele, Tottenham have a couple players on loan that could both use a run out. While Carlos Vinicius did make his second Premier League appearance against Leeds, 3 minutes was not much. Of course, those three minutes are three more than Gedson Fernandes has had this term. It seems likely Fernandes’ loan may be cancelled; however, he was on the bench against Leeds and could very well be on the bench again Tuesday.

Given the number of players out and nine men to be named to the bench, it is possible that Dele, Vinicius, and Fernandes are all named to the pine. The other outstanding questions revolves around Steven Bergwijn, who if fit enough to play would clearly be part of the squad. If Bergwijn is not, it could be another big opportunity for young Jack Clarke to get his name on the team sheet. With rumors of a loan coming for Clarke it could be a big opportunity for the young Englishman.

Good for Tottenham

Ultimately, having more players available on the bench is better than having less. Whether you look at it from the perspective of having the right people available when the need arises or as an opportunity to give someone some great experience, the more the merrier. While rule changes in the middle of a competition are not the best, this is one that makes sense and should hopefully present some opportunity to some of the squad players on the Tottenham team.