Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

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Sunday 19th July 4pm
Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium​

Back-to-back wins, Mourinho finally wining at St James' Park and the 3rd kit curse put to bed. Next!
It's another dodgy one, as we face a Leicester side desperately cling onto a Champions League place.
Things looked almost guaranteed for them before the break, but it's all gone a bit wrong and they need a win.
A double blow from Manchester has pulled them back into the mix, as City won their appeal and Utd hit form.
Can Mourinho get a run of results together or will our tentative grasp on a Europa place slip?

Brendan Rodgers' first full season with the Foxes got off to a bright start.
They made some ambitious, progressive signings and paid for them through the sale of Harry Maguire.
The performances on the pitch were equally impressive, including an 8 match winning streak and a 9-0 victory.
Things hit a bit of a wobble around Christmas though, as they lost to City and Liverpool.
They've been very up and down since, winning and losing six, while drawing five.

The sizeable lead that they'd built up over Man Utd has dissipated since the break and injury issues have hit.
An 8 point gap has been replaced by parity, while 16 points of goal difference has slipped down to 3.
There will be one game to go after this one and the teams in 4th and 5th face each other on the final day.
The Mancs face West Ham in their other league fixture, so it's hard to see past a win for them.
Rodgers won't want to face that last one needing a victory.

The game at Wembley last season came in mid-February, just before our form went out the window.
Sanchez headed home his first goal for us, before Michael Oliver decided to be controversial, again.
Son was booked for being fouled twice in the box, before James Maddison dived to win them a penalty.
Vardy was introduced from the bench to take it, which backfired horribly, as Lloris pushed it round the post.
Eriksen struck to put us 2-0 up, before Vardy pulled one back and ensured a nervy finish.
Son killed things off in injury time with a late solo goal on the break:

The visit to the King Power stadium in this campaign is best remember for a controversial decision, shockingly.
Ndidi put the ball in the net early on, but the goal was chalked off for an obvious offside.
Kane was bundled over by Soyuncu as he sought to pick up Son's backheel. He still somehow scored.
Aurier looked to have put us 2-0 up in the second half, but VAR overruled it due to Son's armpit being offside.
That turned the momentum of the game and they flipped the result with goals from Pereira and Maddison:

Foyth, Parrott, Ndombele, Alli and Malachi-Walcott miss out through injury, while Dier is still suspended.
Serge Aurier is unavailable following the murder of his brother in France.
Maddison, Chilwell, Fuchs, Amartey and Pereira are out for the visitors, while Albrighton is a doubt.
Soyuncu is suspended, due to his red card against Bournemouth.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Sissoko, Winks, Lo Celso, Moura; Son; Kane.
Subs: Gazzaniga, Tanganga, Vertonghen, Skipp, White, Fernandes, Sessegnon, Lamela, Bergwijn.
League form: WLWDWW.

Leicester: Schmeichel; Bennett, Evans, Morgan; Justin, Tielemans, Ndidi, Thomas; Perez, Vardy, Barnes.
Subs: Ward, Johnson, Choudhury, Mendy, James, Praet, Gray, Hirst, Iheanacho.
League form: DLWDLW.

Ref: Anthony Taylor. VAR: Stuart Atwell.

TV: Sky Sports.

How would you like to line up for this one and what would you change from the Newcastle game?
Would you stick with much of the same lineup, make a few changes or go for a wholesale switch?
Which system and tactics would you use and what are you expecting Leicester to go with?

 

Best game I have been to (in terms of goals, tension and not having a vlue who would win) was the 5-4 win at Wembley in the final game of 2017-18 season.
It was a brilliant game...but thank god nothing was riding on the result or most of the ground would have been having a heart attack!
As for this match, the thought of Brenda doing his 1 finger in the air celebration when they win is not as bad as the thought of the gooners finishing above us ... but it's a bloody close run thing

 

I get the feeling Mourinho will name the same side again, if Aurier is available. I think Spurs are beginning to resemble a good if dull team. I wonder if I'll still have that impression after the match. If my last name were Ndidi, I'd name my kid Yes.

 

Aurier has returned to France to be with his family, I think.

I think that he's working on the defence and general defending throughout the team before he deals with anything else.
If we're solid and hard to break down, then we're always going to have a chance of winning matches.
Don't concede and have players like Kane, Son, Alli and Moura in the side and you should pick up three points.
Hopefully some signings will add creativity and fullback options.

 

As always against Leicester. Defence stays back to prevent the hoof forward to their striker

 

and that’s all it usually takes to nullify them...we usually manage a fair few against them because they only play one way

Brenda will do an Arteta against us...they need the win...hopefully we pick them off on the counter all game

 

I remember the home game last season, when Michael Oliver gave us our first free kick of the game after around 60 mins.

 

like when I saw Haley’s Comet in 86

you don’t forget rare moments in life

 

Got a big, extremely sarcastic cheer.

 

With Aurier back in France, the obvious question is how we'll be set up. Will we essentially flip our system and have Tanganga in the Davies role at RB while Sessegnon (or Cirkin) plays the free role at LB, or will we rejig the back line instead of making do?

 

It's a tricky one, isn't it?

He could stick Alderweireld there at the start, pair Vertonghen with Sanchez and go for a very flat defence.
Tanganga starting is probably the most straightforward choice, but it depends on his current fitness level.
It might help negotiations over his new contract if he's playing, though.

 

Is ndombele injured again ffs apparently done it in training

 

The left sided player on the right, i.e Ben at RB and either Sess/Jan/Cirkin at LB is what Poch would do. I favour JT at right back as my first choice, otherwise Sanchez at RB and Jan and Toby in their familiar roles. A third option is Moussa at RB. Please not Davies.

 

Toby has played rb for Belgium so he might get the nod

 

Aurier starts, somewhat unexpectedly

 

I thought he was in France?

 

I think we all thought that!

 

He was...............