Tottenham Hotspur have concluded the Asia leg of their preseason as Thomas Frank’s side head back to Europe, but they would be stopping in Germany real quick to say hello to Harry Kane and pick up the North Londoners latest signing, Joao Palhinha.
The Lilywhites are scheduled to face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena this Thursday (7 August). And it is a game which will have a lot of meet-ups as Lilywhites new boys Palhinha and Mathys Tel return to familiar settings while Harry Kane faces Tottenham again.
While this one is still only a friendly, Thomas Frank will be looking to go into the game looking to put out a strong lineup as the Dane head coach looks to prepare for the all-important UEFA Super Cup game against Paris Saint-Germain later this week. And we will take a look at how the eleven lining up in the tunnel would possibly look like…
Possible Tottenham lineup vs Bayern Munich
Goalkeeper: Guglielmo Vicario
He looks fit and has been fully involved after that quiet end to last season, and by the looks of it, Vicario is set to keep his #1 under Thomas Frank despite many rumours linking the North Londoners to a new keeper just a few weeks back. With him, you never doubt his shot-stopping ability, but then there are sides of his composure when facing pressure, complemented by his poor command in the box (especially in set pieces),that Thomas Frank would want to work on before going into the next season.
Defenders: Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence
Porro has made the right-back spot his own under Thomas Frank, given how he is holding that width in the offensive zones and helping Kudus to invert. But when facing Bayern, he will be tested and would need to be more defensively disciplined than usual given that he has Alphonso Davies bombing down the opposite flank.
Romero starts down the middle, and with Kane lurking, the Argentine’s aggression and anticipation will be very important. And now he will also be donning that armband with Son’s absence, and that is exactly what is needed from him, to lead from the back. Van de Ven accompanies Romero in the heart of defence. The Dutchman is a cheat code with his pace, and he will be looking to sweep behind Romero and nullify Bayern’s runners in transition.
Then down that left, Spence has been having an impressive pre-season, and it looks like he is winning Frank’s trust with his athleticism and his ability to stay calm in 1v1 situations. And this is his opportunity to nail down that starting role going into the first games of the season, given he will be having Leroy Sane to deal with if the German were to start for Kompany’s side.
Midfielders: Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall
Joao Palhinha will get straight into that eleven, as Frank will look to prepare him for the PSG game. The 30-year-old comes back to the Allianz Arena only days after leaving Bayern, and he will already be tasked to marshal midfield for the North Londoners. His role should be to sit deepest of the mid-three, and he will be tasked with shielding the back four.
Bentancur will take up the #8 role. With Maddison injured, the Uruguayan will be given more freedom to go ahead and express himself. In the current setup, he would be best tasked to play in a natural connector role given his abilities to carry the ball forward and also his instincts to drop deep to help dictate tempo when needed.
And Lucas Bergvall completes the three in the middle. The teenager will be tasked to take up most of the creative responsibility for the start of the season, and his test starts with Bayern.
Forward: Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert
We saw how Kudus has been nothing short of electric in the pre-season, and he would be tasked with the same going into the game against Bayern. Given what we saw in the past friendlies, the former Hammers star will be looking to cut inside and onto his stronger left foot with Porro supporting from deep to give width. Off the ball, he should be looking to drag Bayern’s full-back out of shape, given how it can open up a lot of space to run into when Tottenham end up winning the ball.
Richy has been fantastic down the middle in the pre-season, and with Solanke not expected to start right away, the Brazilian should be holding that #9 spot.
And to complete the eleven, Odobert starts on the left, and given his low centre of gravity and quick feet, Thomas Frank will look to give him the ball in sequences where he can isolate the defenders 1v1 and try to get shots off early. If this ends up becoming a transitional game, the former Burnley man would get his chance to thrive and impress.
Tottenham lineup vs Bayern (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Bergvall, Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Richarlison, Odobert
