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Tottenham Hotspur Projected XI for Visit to Dinamo Zagreb

By Aaron Coe

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur and Marin Leovac of Dinamo Zagreb in action during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 11, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur and Marin Leovac of Dinamo Zagreb in action during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 11, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /
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Diaz and Dier, Tottenham
Manchester City’s Portuguese defender Ruben Dias (2nd L) jumps for win a header with Tottenham Hotspur’s English defender Eric Dier (3rd L) November 21, 2020 (Photo by KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Tottenham Starting Defense

Tottenham had a rough go in defense on the weekend against Arsenal. Arsenal certainly dominated play for most of the match, yet the clear-cut chances were not many for the Gunners. Still, Tottenham needs more from their defense.

Ben Davis – Left Back

Ben Davies has been a terrific squad player for Tottenham this season. Sure he has made some mistakes, but everyone on the team has and everyone does at some point. Overall Davies is reliable and dependable. While Davies may lack some of the forward thrust Spurs fans desire in a fullback, his positional awareness and footballing sense help create a solid defense.

Eric Dier – Left Center Beck

Tottenham seemingly has no choice in this position, so it is Eric Dier. Theoretically, Ben Davies could play here and Sergio Reguilon could play left-back but that does not seem to be necessary for a match where Tottenham brings a two-goal advantage from the start. What Dier needs is a strong 90 minutes and he can build from there. This is a good chance to get a good performance as Spurs can play with the ball and avoid a lot of pressure on the defense.

Toby Alderweireld – Right Center Back

Davinson Sanchez has been playing relatively well – outside a questionable call against Lacazette for the penalty – he was the best Spurs defender on the day. Sanchez has also been playing a lot of minutes of late. While seeing Japhet Tanganga get some minutes here instead of Toby would be the preference, Toby Aldereweireld, and his experience gets a game on his preferred right side, besides Tanganga is needed elsewhere.

Japhet Tanganga – Right Back

We kind of want to go with Serge Aurier and kind of want to go with Matt Doherty but ultimately, Japhet Tanganga at right-back is the right call. It is Aurier’s ‘turn’ in the rotation so in theory, he should be getting the start. However, with Aston Villa at the weekend and Aurier still recovering from injury, the Ivorian is held back and kept for the start against the Villans. If not Aurier, then it should be Doherty, right? Well, yes after that stinker on Sunday he needs to get out and play well. However, you can only burn Mourinho so many times, which leads us to Tanganga. We know Mourinho likes the young defender and this seems as good as chance as any to get him another look, particularly give he is getting ready to go play for the England U-23 team.

Hugo Lloris – Goalkeeper

It is possible Joe Hart gets the call here, but Hugo Lloris needs a shutout and this is the next chance to get one so the captain gets the call. Besides, if something crazy were to happen, having the best keeper on the field for what in theory is a big knockout game makes the most sense.