11th in the Premier League table and still without a senior defender, Ange Postecoglou doesn’t exactly like life in north London.
Tottenham undoubtedly had fun and did so again in their 6-3 defeat of leaders Liverpool, but Postecoglou’s idealism in the absence of the Lilywhites’ optimum 11 is starting to look like something of a travesty.
It can be amazing to watch them in full swing and excellent performers against the best in the division, but how far can Postecoglou take this Tottenham team? Cup appearances will be key for the Australian this term.
Festive cheer is in short supply in the white half of north London and Spurs may be in for a tough day of boxing as they travel to the red-hot center Nottingham Forest. Here’s how the visitors could line up on the City Field.
GK: Fraser Forster – Forster played reasonably well after Guglielmo Vicario broke his foot at the Etihad but had a nightmare few days at home. He may fare better away from N17 on Boxing Day.
RB: Grandpa Spence – The deactivation of Pedro Porro’s Instagram did not produce the desired results on the field, and the Spaniard continued to struggle. Spence has been excellent since his integration and could be favored in place of Porro at right back.
CB: Radu Dragušin – An impressive defender who is hapless in possession, Dragusin may have excelled under previous regimes in north London. The Romanian remains Spurs’ only available centre-back.
CB: Archie Gray – The teenager has played everywhere but his preferred position since joining the club, but Gray has shown in recent outings that he is undoubtedly an exciting building block for the future.
LB: Destiny Udogie – The Italy international was back among the substitutes at the weekend after picking up a knock on Southampton. Postecoglou will have to rotate on Thursday and Udogie could return to the side.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – Yves Bissouma has been forced to play a lot in the last month, but Bentancur is back after a seven-match ban. He may have a bit of rust, but the boss might be tempted to offer the Mali international some rest.
CM: Pope Sarr – The relentless Senegalese star is a key cog in Postecoglou’s engine room, and his withdrawal after Sunday’s game suggests conservation for the trip to the City Ground.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski – The Swede has shown he can still be effective when operating out wide, but Postecoglou is likely to move Kulusevski back into the middle of the park. Much of his good work this season has come from the central position.
RW: Brennan Johnson – Johnson has appeared more sporadically lately and there has been a dip in production. The Welshman has 13 goals this season but has not scored in the previous six games. Despite this, the rotation should see the winger return to the squad for his first start since the 4-3 defeat at Chelsea.
ST: Dominic Solanke – Solanke pulls its weight, no doubt about it. The big-money summer arrival has scored four goals in his previous two games, and while there may be fears of overuse, the boss has little choice but to start Solanke again on Boxing Day.
LW: Son Heung-min – The Spurs captain is struggling with his workload and had a poor weekend. He could catch a breather here, but Timo Werner has fallen so drastically down the pecking order that Postecoglou is likely to stick with the fading South Korean superstar.
READ THE LATEST TOTTENHAM NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
