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Projected XI for Tottenham Hotspur to face Watford in the Premier League

By Aaron Coe

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 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 - APRIL 21: Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 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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Dele earns a Tottenham penalty against Wolverhampton in the Premier League
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 22: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur is fouled by Jose Sa of Wolverhampton Wanderers resulting in a penalty during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on August 22, 2021, in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

Tottenham Starting Midfield

After the performances midweek from Bryan Gil and Giovanni Lo Celso who both ran the midfield for Tottenham Hotspur sitting in front of a deep-lying Harry Winks, maybe some changes could be coming in the engine room. However, like with the defense, with the midfield expect the Spurs to take and if it is not broken do not fix it approach.

Left midfield: Dele Alli

Coming into the season one of the big questions concerning Dele Alli was what position he could play in this team. After two weeks, his work on the left side of the midfield three has been quite good and makes one wonder why that was never tried earlier. Dele has shown a real motor that heretofore most likely were unaware of. We have always known he has timing for runs in the box, like on last week’s penalty, however it has been the box-to-box effort from Dele that has truly stood out. Expect that to continue, particularly with Reguilón likely to be busy with Sarr.

Center midfield: Oliver Skipp

Oliver Skipp came into the heart of the midfield early in the preseason and thus far has kept the job in the Premier League. While we are not sold that Skipp will start their all season, particularly if the team wants more attackers on the pitch, we do not see Skipp losing his spot on Sunday. The 20-year old midfielder has been solid in the tackle and quick in possession allowing the other midfielders more freedom.

Right midfield: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

If anyone might replace Oliver Skipp in the deep middle of the pitch it could be Pierre Højbjerg. The idea would be that a more skillful or attack-minded midfielder would come into this right midfield position – ala Bryan or Lo Celso – and Højbjerg would drop a bit deeper. That is an intriguing thought and is likely to be something we see from Tottenham as the season progresses. However, for consistency and continuity, we should expect to see essentially the same back eight for Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as we have the last two weekends. The real change in the team will be up top.