da brdice： Tottenham’s season has gone from promising to pitiful since defeating Manchester City in October. Now, Pochettino must revive the confidence of his squad this weekend as Spurs play host to Swansea at White Hart Lane.
da imperador bet： Indeed, the past two months have witnessed the Lilywhites slip away from the race for the Premier League title – one they were involved in right up until almost the end of last term – and suffer elimination from the Champions League and EFL Cup, albeit they may well enter the Europa League.
Now, the Swans travel to north London hopeful of securing back-to-back victories for the first time this season after they beat Crystal Palace last weekend in an epic 5-4 counter.
Bob Bradley will be overcome with joy if he can mastermind anything other than a defeat – something that will not suit Spurs.
To beat the Swans, Pochettino must pick this starting XI…
GK: Hugo Lloris
It’s getting to the stage of the season where fans are beginning to ask where Tottenham would be without Hugo Lloris.
The French international has kept the Lilywhites in games far too regularly this campaign – most notably a draw against Bayer Leverkusen when the north Londoners should have been well beaten in Germany.
RB: Kyle Walker
Walker has become one of the best full-backs in world football and his ability to both attack and defend are somewhat of a rarity in the modern game.
Swansea will provide a difficult challenge for Walker as the pace of the Swans’ wide players is likely to put pressure on both his attacking and defensive responsibilities.
CB: Eric Dier
In the absence of Toby Alerweireld, Pochettino has struggled to replace the Belgian defender with Kevin Wimmer proving just how difficult a task that really is.
Dier’s versatility and capability to play in a number of positions ensures Pochettino can rely on the English international regardless of the opposition.
Swansea will provide another difficult challenge for Dier as he faces the unfancied task halting the in-form Fernando Llorente.
CB: Jan Vertonghen
The famous partnership of Vertonghen and Aldweireld has been the catalyst to Spurs’ success over the past twelve months.
Now with Aldweireld’s injury, Vertonghen commanding the central defence has become paramount to the club’s hopes.
Pochettino had restored the confidence in Vertonghen once before when his career at the Lane looked bleak, and the Argentine must now ensure Vertonghen inspires Spurs to victory this Saturday also.
LB: Danny Rose
The significance of Rose’s presence in this side was witnessed last week when Victor Moses ran riot.
The left-back could easily have matched Moses’ energy and dynamism, which could have saw a different result occur.
Against Swansea, the pace of Mo Barrow will easily be matched, which could cut out a major worry for the Spurs defence as they hope to secure back-to-back home victories.
CM: Victor Wanyama
When it comes to big games, Victor Wanyama has not let Spurs down this season.
Discipline remains a big concern regarding his overall quality, but if he can keep his head against Swansea, he will dominate the Swans’ midfielders with relative ease. The Spurs midfield is far superior with Wanyama present.
CM: Mousa Dembele
With Dier likely to deputise in defence, and Moussa Sissoko looking anything but worthy of a starting position, Dembele is likely to carry on his duties alongside Victor Wanyama.
Dembele looked inspired last weekend at Stamford Bridge, however, against Swansea, he must help bring a halt to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s run of form.
The Belgian’s creativity may also prove a decisive factor if Spurs have any ambition of securing another three points at White Hart Lane.
RM: Georges-Kevin N’Koudou
Defeat to Chelsea has proved a difficult pill to swallow, however, the cameo of Georges-Kevin N’Koudou gives the Spurs faithful much optimism ahead of this weekend’s match.
The French winger was very impressive and looked like Tottenham’s best outlet when he made it off the bench.
N’Koudou could come up against Neil Taylor this weekend and another performance like last Saturday’s may finally see the former Marseille man become a first-team regular.
CAM: Dele Alli
A lot has been said in the press regarding Alli’s ability, but the young midfielder has failed to hit the heights of last season thus far in 2016/17.
Alli has looked relatively reserved in his overall play, but the prospect of facing Swansea and running at such a fragile defence may fill him with confidence.
With Harry Winks keen to make his impression in the side, Alli must rediscover his notable form of last season.
LM: Heung-min Son
Cristian Eriksen may have scored an excellent goal last weekend, but the Danish midfielder has not been producing the good regularly enough of late.
Eriksen has proven a novelty rather than necessity over the last few weeks and the work-rate of Heung-min Son could be of greater value to Spurs.
The South Korean’s input this season has been notable.
ST: Vincent Janssen
Yes, drop Kane! Spurs’ powerful striker has returned from injury, and despite goals against West Ham, Kane has made little impact on the side since.
The question must be asked as to what would the point be in having Janssen if he cannot be provided with the opportunity to shine at the club?
Swansea’s soft core may well offer the Dutchman the chance he needs to get scoring, and resting Kane for the vital Champions League clash against CSKA Moscow will appeal to Pochettino.