please log in to view this image Sunday 28th August 4.30pm Premier League City Ground No injury news yet, but there are some claims that Romero is back, while Reguilon is now injured. Neither side has any suspensions. Lineups for each side's last league game: Spurs: Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Royal, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son. Subs: Forster, Doherty, Lenglet, Tanganga, Sessegnon, Bissouma, Gil, Moura, Richarlison. Forest: Henderson; Worrall, McKenna, Cook; Williams, O'Brein, Mangala, Toffolo; Lingard; Johnson, Awoniyi. Subs: Hennessey, Biancone, Kouyate, Yates, Freuler, Gibbs-White, Mighten, Dennis, Surridge. Ref: Craig Pawson. VAR: Stuart Atwell. TV: Sky Sports. How would you like to line up for this one?
The Djed Spence Derby that probably won’t feature Djed Spence. Richarlison for Son is the definite change I’d make. The Brazilian’s looked very lively when coming on, a stark contrast to Son who’s looked dead. Romero possibly back in for Sanchez if he’s fit. Wouldn’t mind seeing Lenglet given a go too but not sure that’ll happen. Bissouma shouldn’t be too far off of at least getting a solid 45 behind him too. If any CM isn’t impressing by HT then that could be a good time to get him properly involved in.
I think it's possible that this is the game that Conte will start to introduce a couple of the new signings as he prepares for the coming CL fixtures, or will he just use them to reduce game time and lighten the load?
My starting XI ... Executive summary : LLoris Sanchez Romero Davies Doherty Bentancur Bissouma Perisic Spence Richarlison Son Rationale (long - read at the risk of your waste of time ... ) : I have been thinking about this game since the PL fixtures were announced, and my reasoning is based on the following : 1. Spurs have a general good results return from promoted sides 2. An away game, so a debatable selection not doing so great does not have the home crowd on their back if their performance is meh 3. with 5 subs allowed this season, there is far more scope to repair anything arising from 2 4. Conte IMHO needs to get into the groove of serious squad rotation, and with the Spanners game needing the strongest possible starting XI, this is the first game to do so 5. And as an extra incentive, this fixture will be repeated as a League Cup R3 tie (so we have an opportunity to see in advance what kind of starting XI could also prevail in that game) The players : - Sanchez Needs game time in his legs. I trust Romero ro marshal him to a more disciplined performance than Dier did last week. - Doherty Needs game time in his legs. Hopefully he can quickly return to that vein of form he was in last season before the Villa thuggery - Bissouma The Bentancur/Hojbjerg pairing IMHO has been found wanting in recent times : the last two games this season, and the games last season against the 'Bs' . I want to see if Bissouma can beast the MF a la Wanyama, giving Bentancur the time to play his passes, or drive forward with the ball a la Dembele, pulling the opposition MF out of shape. - Perisic More game time in his legs. I thought this game would be his first start, but after last week and his assist rate from set play, IMHO he is good for at least 60 mins. - Spence The most controversial selection. This would ba a real "baptism of fire" for the boy, but he spent a whole season playing this level of opposition (tis not Citeh away) . - Richarlison Perfect game to give him a start, given Spurs are +7 pts on the "season compass" . More so given that Kane is far from his traditional 'summer hangover' form. A good performance also puts pressure for a starting XI place against the Spanners on ... - Son Who needs to get himself in gear ASAP. As Kane forever shows, last season is gone, and the performance right now is all that counts.
A thought provoking post that details what was crossing my mind which is why I suggested that Conte may make changes. I can't see it being wholesale but Bissouma and Richarlison starting would not surprise me.
No doubt my selection at face value is a bit "audere est facere" (though not even close to that infamous Arry 2010 League Cup starting XI against them lot ) . Apart from the practical considerations, consider the effects on the other PL clubs if such a selection is fielded and a decent result/performance arises.
That is a wild selection, lol. I’m optimistic to see one or two changes, with Richarlison being the one most deserving of a start but definitely don’t see five or six, we’d get a disjointed performance with that many changes.
How so ?? All bar Spence and Perisic are PL proven, in general or for Spurs. And Perisic IMHO, from his start last reek and his assist rate to date has shown he should be good for a 60 min stint. "but definitely don’t see five or six, we’d get a disjointed performance with that many changes." If you make the call in advance (as I have) , then you have plenty of training sessions beforehand where that starting XI play together.
For a start, making multiple changes rarely ever works out. Then dropping the two in-form forwards is a huge head scratcher. Even more so when one’s being dropped for a RWB. Dier is the leader at the back and so it’s unlikely Romero would have a greater influence on Sanchez. Romero’s an excellent defender and our best on paper but he’s also a hot head, I don’t see him being one to marshal other players.
Serge Aurier might be available soon Free agent and speaking to Forest, who are keen to make him their 712th signing of the summer
Didn’t realise he’s only 29. Not a bad transfer for them. Obviously will put in a motm performance against Spurs on his debut now.
He might actually have a part to play in us scoring goals Unlike the last couple of years of his Spurs tenure...
If you were writing a play and named one of your characters Romaine Mundle the readers might think you weren't very good at creating names and should come up with something more believable.
I've seen Citeh make wholesale changes in PL starting XIs, and get results Are Spurs not aspiring to do similar with the squad currently assembled ?? Or perhaps you believe that only Pep the false messiah is capable of doing such things (ie Conte is his squad management inferior) . "Then dropping the two in-form forwards is a huge head scratcher. Even more so when one’s being dropped for a RWB." I am "dropping" nobody. I am saying that in a 5 sub regime, I trust the two "in-form forwards" to inflict as much damage in the last 30 mins of a game as they would in the first 60. On that basis, I wish to give other options a starting XI opportunity in attack, to see if they front up for the benefit of the squad as we would hope. "Dier is the leader at the back and so it’s unlikely Romero would have a greater influence on Sanchez. Romero’s an excellent defender and our best on paper but he’s also a hot head, I don’t see him being one to marshal other players." So if the choice was Dier + Sanchez, or Romero + Sanchez, you would always choose the former ?? I could live with that for this game.
