Tottenham: What Spurs need to do at Vitesse on Thursday

Tottenham Hotspur is back in European action Thursday as they travel to the Netherlands to take on Vitesse in Arnhem. We know Spurs are taking a young team, which is a good choice, so what should we expect from the rotated Tottenham team that takes on Vitesse in the UEFA Europa Conference League?

Spurs should be stout defensively

Even without any of the back four defenders who played against Newcastle, Tottenham will still likely be sporting half the back four that shut out Manchester City on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez both started and were significant factors in Spurs defeating City and going on to win their first three matches. Red cards, injuries, and absences – along with two new signings – have moved the pair to the bench recently in the Premier League but Sanchez and Tangaga are solid.

The left side is likely going to be Ben Davies – who may be captain as well – along with Joe Rodon. Both players have seen limited minutes due to injuries and are very much going to be needed this season. Ideally, both play well for Spurs.

With a backline of Davies, Rodon, Sanchez, and Tanganga playing in front of Pierluigi Gollini, Spurs should be strong defensively. This is especially true given the struggles Vitesse has had scoring this season. While a young and relatively inexperienced Spurs attack may not score, an experienced defense should be able to keep a clean sheet.

Continued…

Tottenham needs someone to step up

For most of the season, it has been Heung-Min Son and in the most recent match against Newcastle, it was Sergio Reguilon, Harry Kane, and Tanguy Ndombele all stepping up to propel Spurs to a victory.

Well, Tottenham will not have any of those players on Thursday and will need someone else to step up and play a big role. Whether that is one of the more experienced players like Dele Alli or Giovani Lo Celso or a younger player like Dane Scarlett or Bryan Gil does not much matter. What does matter is that Tottenham needs some player(s) to step up within the expanded squad.

Stepping up does not necessarily mean scoring but it does mean demanding the football and then doing good intelligent things with it once you have it. Of course, it could mean scoring too, as legends have been made in Europe. Three goals from Dane Scarlett or an incredible free-kick from Bryan Gil could make a lasting impression from players looking to garner more minutes.

The bottom line is that Nuno Espirito Santo and Tottenham are counting on someone to step up and make the big plays to propel the team to victory and someone needs to and should deliver if Spurs are truly going to win this trophy.

Spurs need to show real hunger and drive

It is one thing to see Harry Kane from time to time not pressing as hard as he can, he is Harry Kane. However, no one on the field Thursday is at the Kane level and frankly, all of the players that make the trip are playing to prove they should play more.

Besides creating some real depth in the squad, Santo is working to create some competition as well. Of course, you cannot have competition if players are not competing. Thursday is an opportunity for a number of players to stake a claim to minutes either Sunday against West Ham or next week in the Carabao Cup against Burnley.

Outside of Son player for Tottenham has been so good they are undroppable. If Dane Scarlett were to score a hat-trick, you can bet Santo is going to find some way to get him in the game on Sunday. Spurs should be a deep team as they have a lot of players, however, those players have to play and have to show they want to do so, no matter who those minutes are against.

Any player who is not giving 100% for the full time they are on the pitch is basically saying they do not really want to play and for that reason, we should expect an aggressive, hungry team, with something to prove, which is exactly what Nuno and Spurs want.