Tottenham Hotspur projected XI for Carabao Cup trip to Burnley
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham defensive projections
Defensively is where we will see the most change with Tottenham Hotspur with all five players being different from the weekend.
Ben Davies – Left fullback
We got the news that Matt Doherty will be back with the squad on Wednesday, unfortunately, Ryan Sessegnon is not. Instead, we see Ben Davies run out again. It should actually be a decent performance from Davies with the struggles Burnley has had in attack. That said, Aaron Lennon – even at 34 – is way faster than Davies and could give him trouble.
Joe Rodon – Left center-half
Joe Rodon was okay last week versus Vitesse. Rodon showed that he can cover a lot of ground and that he is a safety-first defender. Whether some of his plays knocking the ball out was by design or showing a little bit of hurt confidence is not known. What is known is that playing and ideally playing well is the best way to boost a player’s confidence.
Davinson Sanchez – Right center-half
Davinson Sanchez was actually playing pretty well before the first international break derailed his season. Sanchez went from starting on the 3-0 team to not playing all that great in road losses in Europe. Sanchez can be an excellent defender, especially with the right partner but he needs minutes.
Japhet Tanganga – Right fullback
Matt Doherty is with the team, however, Japhet Tanganga should be the starter. Maybe Doherty can provide a bit more going forward than Tanganga but the reality is Tanganga – along with Emerson Royal – is the future of the position and every minute he can get is a plus.
Pierluigi Gollini – Goalkeeper
Pierluigi Gollini has yet to keep a clean sheet with Tottenham. Wednesday may be his first best chance to do that. With only 7 goals through their nine league games, Burnley is even more inept offensively than are Spurs. If Gollini can bring the goods the two to three times he is asked to, then a clean sheet should be forthcoming.