Covid results muddy projected XI for Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle

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Manchester United’s English striker Marcus Rashford (L) kicks the ball before Tottenham Hotspur’s English defender Eric Dier during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on April 11, 2021. (Photo by MATTHEW CHILDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Tottenham Projected Defence

It is on the defensive side of the pitch where Spurs have a lot of questions about how is going to play. Given that three of the top six defenders for Tottenham were in South America on Thursday, that should come as no surprise. While playing Emerson given the conditions may be more difficult in his position, it is likely we see at least one of the three South American defenders Sunday.

Sergio Reguilon – Left-back

It is possible that Sergio Reguilon is on the Covid list, as he was out on international duty but back Thursday. However, Reguilon’s name has not been in the rumor mill and although Ben Davies is reportedly back from his appendix issues, Reguilon is the clear top choice. Sergio has not reached the heights of his early Spurs performances of last season but he has been more consistent on defence and is providing some punch going forward. He should have a big game against a wanting Newcastle team.

Eric Dier – Center-half

Eric Dier is the one player we know for almost certain will start defensively for Tottenham Hotspur. Dier is the unquestioned leader of the defense as the most vocal and experienced of the players. Dier has been solid this season and while he will always have some limitations, with the right partners and players around him, Dier can lead the line quite well defensively.

Cristian Romero – Center-half

It is quite possible that Davinson Sanchez gets the call here, given that Romero played 90 minutes Thursday for Argentina, while Sanchez did not for Colombia. However, Santo needs to get his team and rotation on the right one, meaning Romero and Dier should play together. This would leave Joe Rodon and Sanchez for midweek, and start moving the team toward having four reliable center defenders. Center-halves only run so much and Romero should be ready more than 60 hours after featuring for Argentina.

Japhet Tanganga – Right back

Whereas center-halves like Romero only do so much running during a match, we know that fullbacks tend to do quite a bit more. It is with the load that he had Thursday in mind that we see Japhet Tanganga again starting at right-back. After a wonderful start to the season, injuries to others, and a bad red card, took Tanganga out of his rhythm and potentially left him behind Emerson Royal in the pecking order. On Sunday, however, it is Tanganga with his chance to shine.

Hugo Lloris – Goalkeeper

Unless Hugo Lloris is one of the two players who has tested positive for Covid, we should expect to see the club captain starting for Spurs. Lloris has played relatively well this season, despite the poor goal differential for the club. With those three clean sheets, we know Lloris can get the job done, he just needs a bit more consistency around him.