Tottenham projected starting 11 for Manchester City tilt
By Gary Pearson
Tottenham alternate starting 11 — 3-5-2 formation
Playing City away feels like the perfect match for Conte to tinker with his formation and opt for the 3-5-2 system he implemented against Leicester about a month ago. We can only hope Spurs get the same miracle result against City as they did at the King Power.
In this formation, Moura drops out of the team with Winks taking his place. We know City will boss the ball and I’d be surprised to see Tottenham have more than 35 to 40 percent possession, so it makes sense for Conte to plug up the middle of the park and try contain Pep Guardiola’s dynamic attack.
Winks, Bentancur and Hojbjerg will provide a compact diamond in midfield, allowing Kane and Son to roam free up top. The duo up top still provides Tottenham with a bonafide threat on the counter, though they’ll expect support from either Bentancur, Reguilon, or to a lesser extent, Hojbjerg.
The 3-5-2 formation offers Tottenham the best chance of taking a share of the spoils. It will be interesting to see if Conte feels the same, or whether he’ll stick with his tried and tested 3-4-3.