Although Tottenham are still unbeaten in the league, four draws in the last four matches has seen them drop out of the top four into fifth position, five points away from League leaders. However, their impressive performance in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal prior to the international would have given the squad a much-needed confidence boost along with Harry Kane’s return. Tottenham welcome West Ham United to White Hart Lane this Saturday, Bilic’s are struggling to get going this season and have already suffered 6 defeats in just 11 matches. They will need to be at their best to keep Tottenham at bay, even though Spurs have struggled to get a goal through open play in some time.
Manager Pochettino will have a tough task deciding his playing XI for this weekend as he is without a number of keys players such as Dele Alli, Ben Davies and Toby Alderweireld while they have doubts regarding Christian Eriksen, Mousa Dembele and Vincent Janssen. Here is the predicted starting XI that might start against West Ham on Saturday.
Goalkeeper : Hugo Lloris
Lloris is a certain starter when fit, his excellent performance between the sticks has saved Tottenham from losing all the points on many occasions. Didn’t play against Ivory Coast in the international but will be expected to be geared up for this match.
Defenders : Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and Kevin Wimmer
Pochettino will need to continue with Wimmer in the centre of the back three in the absence of Toby Alderweireld, who is still not fit enough to return to the match day squad. Wimmer will partner Vertonghen and Dier alongside. The Belgian international has has stodd well in the absence of Alderweireld and is an essential component of the back four. While, Dier is likely to start as a cenntre bac yet again and a positive result is expected from his side.
Midfielders/Wing-Backs : Walker, Wanyama, Erikson, Dembele, Rose and Son
Walker and Rose will start as win-back. Both have done an excellent job this season keeping teams at bay but the recent injury to Alderweireld has shaken things a bit.There is injury concerns regarding a lot of players in midfield, which is why selecting his middle will be crucial for Pochettino. Wanyama and Dembele are most likely to occupy the central defensive role with Eriksen just in front them. Son is most likely to start just behind Harry Kane. Dele Alli’s injury could create problems for Tottenham this weekend.
Striker : Harry Kane
The best news for Tottenham to come out of the Arsenal game was the fine return of Harry Kane to the starting line-up. The English international scored the all important penalty which levelled the score. His presence up top is very important to the type of football Pochettino wants his team to play. Though Son did a good job in his absence and Janssen also scored a few, none of them had the finishing abilities like Kane.
