Tottenham Hotspur have been enduring quite a roller coaster ride and their January has been no different. Their FA Cup dreams were thrashed by Manchester City, who also scored their first-ever goal at Tottenham’s new stadium. Ange Postecoglou has also been receiving heartbreaks in the transfer market as his targets are being hijacked by other clubs.
The club sit fifth in the league table and need to fight back hard to earn a Champions League spot. From being potential title contenders to having to settle for the UCL spot the next season, Spurs took quite a plunge this season.
However, there are not just dark clouds that loom over North London. The Tottenham squad is almost back to 100%. James Maddison’s injury boost is a major booster for the club’s morale. Then there is Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin who has joined the Spurs squadron.
Club captain Heung-min Son will be soon released from his national duty and join his team just as Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma. This good news has a price and that will be Ange Postecoglou’s peace of mind. The Tottenham boss will have a mammoth task ahead of him in finding the right combination of players.
He will have to do more than just try all the permutations and combinations, while also maintaining the players’ morale. Let us take a look at the three best starting XI that Ange Postecoglou can deploy to reap benefits. We are going with Postecoglou’s favourite 4-2-3-1 formation.
Postecoglou’s favourite
The first thing we can assume that the Aussie boss will do with complete access to his squad is switch to the starting XI that gave him results. This eliminates all the part-timers and the new arrivals. That means Timo Werner, who has immediately found a place in the starting XI, will be on the bench.
Things won’t be much different for his co-January arrival, Radu Dragusin. The former Genoan man hasn’t started a game yet under his new boss. His place in the lineup looks distant as Spurs do really well with their current back four.
Should the Lilywhites gaffer switch to this lineup, Brennan Johnson, who has been a great aid to his manager will lose his importance. So will Bryan Gil, who will have to vacate the ‘substitute left winger’ position for Timo Werner.
Making way for the January incomings
Signing Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin wasn’t a part of a long-term plan. The former Celtic manager had to take imminent action due to the need of the hour. The arrival of the duo did strengthen the squad’s depth but has left many options for their manager to choose from.
Maintaining a high player morale is important for the well-being of the club. In order to keep the same, Ange will have to include Werner and Dragusin in the squad, sooner or later. While we saw the German reprise his role as a left-winger under his new manager, Dragusin was deployed out of his natural position in his cameo against Manchester United.
Now it is quite evident that the gaffer won’t fiddle with his centre-back options. Tottenham have done impressive with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven guarding the heart of their defence. This is where the Romanian’s versatility will be handy.
Postecoglou might have to sacrifice Pedro Porro for Dragusin. This could speed up the game for the North Londoners and should be a great offensive tactic.
A balanced attacking lineup
Brennan Johnson has done enough to secure a place in the starting XI. He stepped up when Ange Postecoglou was left without many options. Johnson has served multiple positions for his manager.
However, he excels in midfield. Choosing one between Bissouma and Matar Sarr should be a daunting task for the Aussie man but he is more likely to favour the former. Johnson can be deployed instead of Matar Sarr to create a more diverse and attacking-minded midfield.
Next up will be axing Richarlison. The Brazilian’s life at Tottenham hasn’t been colourful until lately. Despite his newfound fame, neither the manager nor the fans are convinced of his temperament. This should urge Postecoglou to consider Werner as his number 9.
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In conclusion, with only EPL to focus on, Ange Postecoglou is fortunate to have a full-fledged team at his dispersal. The Aussie manager will however have to break a few hearts. The likes of Lo Celso, Oliver Skipp, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (should he remain with Spurs), will continue to be optional players at the club.
Rodrigo Bentancur will be another strong contender to fight for his position. The Lilywhites sit 5th in the league table with 40 points. They are eight points away from the top-positioned Liverpool and three points away from the UCL spot. The remainder of the season should bring something interesting to the table for Tottenham.
