Conor Gallagher certainly isn't everyone's first choice to start as the No. 10 for Tottenham Hotspur, and with James Maddison potentially injured again after coming into last weekend's win over Chelsea with some missed practices and then coming out with a groin issue in the 50th minute, Gallagher is back on the table as an option this weekend vs. rivals Crystal Palace.
The alternative to Maddison that many Tottenham fans want to see is Omar Marmoush in a hybrid 10 and support striker role behind main No. 9 Dominic Solanke, but against Palace, maybe reverting back to Gallagher isn't such a bad idea.
There is, of course, the element of revenge here, as Gallagher did play for Palace before making his way back to Chelsea. That 2021/22 season with the Eagles was the best of his career with 8 goals and more than 3 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game, and he's been looking to get back to that status since.
Conor Gallagher can be the anti-Adam Wharton missile
Tottenham Hotspur have a more compelling, tactical reason to utilize Gallagher against Crystal Palace. While he has scored a couple of goals this season and is still every bit the bulldog he always was with the ball at his feet, Spurs aren't going to start Gallagher because of his attacking prowess. He's a well below par No. 10 in terms of his passing and playmaking, and that has consistently stunted Tottenham this season, too.
But Conor Gallagher is great as an anti-10. Basically, he is a No. 10 who works best when he is playing defensive, pressing and harrying the back line into mistakes that his team can quickly capitalize on. The anti-10 is a somewhat new role in football, and it is often used in specific situations by great managers to basically have a more defensive 10 shadow a playmaking regista in order to block their passing lanes, suffocate their space, and prevent them from controlling the game.
Crystal Palace are 17th in the Premier League and one of the worst teams around, and they have sold a lot of their great players over the last couple of seasons like Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, and Maxence Lacroix. But they still have young defensive midfielder Adam Wharton, who is arguably the best young deep lying playmaker in the Premier League.
Gallagher can both frustrate him and the Palace back line with players like Chris Richards and Axel Disasi. He can get a below average defense to fumble the ball away into both his and the clutches of forwards Mohammed Kudus, Dominic Solanke, and Mathys Tel. But he will also be crucial in styming Wharton, suffocating the best player on the Eagles. Gallagher makes a lot of sense in that defensive 10 role against a team like Palace, whose best player is that playmaking 6.
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