Dave and Gio both watched the game at the stadium yesterday. So it would appear to be fitness rather than Covid that’s keeping them out of the team.
I think Bergwijn has a lot of traits to play as a RW. Seems to have good technique for a cross and that raw pace would make him like a Lennon 2.0 with finishing ability. 442 could be interesting with Son alongside Kane, wouldn’t be against giving that a go to be honest. I think Lo Celso and Hojbjerg would provide good balance in the middle as a pairing as well. Few similarities to the Modric-Parker partnership with regards to a creator and a ball winner.
Doubt it’s Covid, probably just an injury scare. Part of me wishes we would pull Kane out but this is basically his preseason now and he’s bound to get plenty of game time in both England matches, so in terms of his preparation post-isolation it might be better for him to be with England and play 2 games than at Spurs and play 1 against Watford as part of a depleted squad.
Kane is the England captain, no way will he pull out he has to much respect for the shirt , shame as he really should manage game time better
Generally I agree with you. But in this case I think it’s beneficial for him to play a large part in both games. He wants that goalscoring record though so I doubt he’ll ever pull out of a game if he doesn’t have to.
Always the risk of a <standard> injury though. We have to believe that Jose has been playing these less than impressive on-pitch combos with a view to seeing what will get Spurs into the EL group stages + League Cup R5 with as few as possible of the strongest starting XI on the team sheets (KO or subs) . Those games may not be pretty to watch, but I don't care providing they are all won + no significant injuries, while the strongest XI gets stuck into the PL. After that, perhaps the september fixture melee will be a blessing in disguise for the squad as a whole (though as Spurs supporters we always fear the <standard> ) .
I think that’s 100% the point. Jose learns nothing from playing the strongest possible team through preseason. Barring any major outgoings we all know what his starting team will be for Everton, the only question mark is who partners Højbjerg in midfield and all the options are players already at the club. This is all about minutes in legs and trying combinations that will get us through the mad schedule that’s coming up without knackering the first choice players. Sometimes those combinations work, sometimes they don’t.
I don't trust Southgate to be man enough to sub Kane in scenarios where he has scored a couple, and the game is well won after 60 odd mins.
I’m inclined to agree with you. I don’t think Poch always was either. I’m hoping that once we get a backup, Jose will be.
Anyone know if the Watford game is going to be on Spurs TV as well? Pretty sure those matchday passes were just for Ipswich, Birmingham and Reading, though I'm also sure that I read somewhere that Spurs will be providing coverage for all our pre-season games but I've not really seen anything about the Watford one yet...
Hard to find out anything about this game at all, but I don't think that we're streaming it, unfortunately. Hopefully it's on somewhere and it's not a behind-closed-doors affair.
My addled brain and partial understanding of Mourinho's system suggests: Lloris Davies Alderweireld Dier Doherty lo Celso PEH Bergwijn Dele Kane Son
Could be. I think we'll see the wonky back four again, though. 4-2-3-1 with Moura replacing Bergwijn from the XI you picked.
You're probably right. If the past is any guide, the chance of one of those four being out at any give time is so high it may not be much of an issue.
