Tottenham projected starting 11 vs Chelsea in semifinal leg two
By Gary Pearson
Forwards, team and formation
Son Heung-min is Tottenham’s glaring absentee. The South Korean will miss another two to three weeks with a minor muscle injury suffered in the first leg. Conte has quite a few alternative solutions at his disposal, none of which ideal.
Tanguy Ndombele alienated himself after a woeful outing combined with a petulant exit from the pitch on Sunday. There’s no chance he starts.
Steven Bergwijn is also racing against time to be passed fit. There’s also bundles of speculation surrounding the Dutchman’s future. The compounding effect of those two variables will probably prevent Conte from selecting him.
That leaves either Dele Alli, Bryan Gil or Giovani Lo Celso. Dele is a logical choice. However, he has also been poor in his two recent appearances, the latest against Morecambe. Bryan Gil had an opportunity to make the role his, but also disappointed playing in an uncustomary forward role in the FA Cup win.
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Lo Celso wasn’t spectacular in the middle of the park, but improved in the second half, unsurprisingly showing his best stuff after Harry Kane and Lucas Moura were introduced. Conte will want to see how the Argentine performs from kickoff in a more advanced role in close proximity to two of Spurs most formidable attacking threats, Kane and Moura.