please log in to view this image Saturday 6th December 3pm Premier League Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Dragusin, Kulusevski, Maddison, Bissouma and Solanke are all long-term injured. Neither side has any suspensions. Lineups for each side's last league game: Spurs: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Danso, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur, Sarr; Kudus, Kolo Muani, Johnson. Subs: Kinsky, Spence, van de Ven, Palhinha, Gray, Simons, Odobert, Tel, Richarlison. League form: WLDLLD. Brentford: Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Pinnock, van den Berg, Henry; Yarmoliuk, Janelt, Jensen; Ouattara, Schade. Subs: Valdimarsson, Collins, Arthur, Lewis-Potter, Onyeka, Henderson, Damsgaard, Donovan, Thiago. League form: WLWLWL. Ref: Robert Jones. VAR: Timothy Wood. TV: Not televised in the UK. How would you like to line up for this one and how do you think we actually will line up?
This will be a test to see if the Newcastle result was either an example of the team having the mentality to turn things around, or if the ref pissed off the players that much they got a result out of spite alone
Looks like it’s Vic Porro Romero VdV Spence Gray Bentancur Kudus Xavi Richy RKM The good: Gray and Xavi getting a start The bad: Don’t like the box formation without natural LB (tbf it could be 433 with Richy or RKM off the left).
We’ll see. I think if you’re going to play such a narrow formation, or even a 433/4231 that naturally has a bit more width but with someone like Richy or RKM on the left, you need a more natural left sided player to push up on the left and open the pitch. Way too easy for the defence to shut down space otherwise.
Surprised to see Bentancur starting. He's played a lot of starting minutes of late and has hardly impressed. Xavi getting a game is a positive move at least. But we are the Forrest Gump box of chocolates, so heaven knows what version we will get today! Just hoping that my favourite young keeper doesn't show us what we could have had...
Completely off topic(*) but the Forrest quote always annoyed me. If you look at the picture you know *exactly* what chocolate you are going to get. To that extent, life is *nothing* like a box of chocolates. Life is more like Spurs. * unless referring to the hazelnut in every bite version
BBC: If ever Thomas Frank needed a win... No Premier League win since 26 October. No Premier League home win since 16 August. Will be leapfrogged by Brentford - the club he left to take charge of Spurs - if his side lose today.
So, yeah, with Bissouma off in January we'll be in the market for a new No8, right? Bentancur seems to be on a mission to leave gaps so far