Ange Postecoglou is facing at least two team selection decisions for Thursday evening’s London derby against Chelsea. Spurs are fresh off losing the North London Derby at home to Arsenal after an embarrassing first half, which saw the hosts 3-0 down, that they were unable to recover from in the second period.
Both Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min were on target to bring the Lilywhites back into the game, however it was too little too late. The defeat now means Spurs’ Champions League qualification hopes are out of their hands with Aston Villa seven points ahead having played two extra games.
Despite that, Spurs can at least strengthen their grip on securing a Europa League spot with victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have been decimated by injuries this season and that has continued for Mauricio Pochettino with just 11 senior players, which includes 20-year-old Alfie Gilchrist, available for the clash.
Postecoglou has also been dealt two injury blows before the clash, with Ben Davies and Timo Werner confirmed as out for the season. Injuries have prevented the Spurs boss from picking a consistent starting XI with Richarlison, James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Micky van de Ven among those to suffer plaguing issues.
Another player in that category is Romero, however he continues to be a constant and crucial player in Postecoglou’s squad. The Argentine international dragged his side back into last weekend’s clash against Arsenal with that goal coming after he went close with a trio of headers.
Despite the disappointment of the result, Postecoglou was left extremely pleased with the display of one of his vice-captains. “Yeah, he was outstanding,” he admitted in his post-match press conference. “He’s a World Cup winner and I’ve just got to get some of what’s in him into some of the others.”
As part of his management ideologies, Postecoglou often allows players to make decisions for themselves on the pitch with Romero appearing to take advantage of exactly that. While the 26-year-old was at points the furthest Spurs player forward, moving him back slightly and into midfield could solve numerous issues.
For Postecoglou’s system to thrive, the need for an elite-level no.6 is paramount and it looked as though Yves Bissouma was exactly that. However, following his sending off against Luton Town back in October, the Mali international has significantly struggled to rediscover the form shown in the first few months of the season.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have also been deployed at the base of midfield but Spurs continue to have similar problems which may mean it’s time for a drastic change. Romero has numerous qualities that could be utilised in midfield with his aggression in the tackle, which has been tamed this season, a valuable trait along with his line-breaking pass abilities and intuition when it comes to breaking up play – a defensive midfielder in the mould of Rodri.
This surprising decision would of course leave a gap in defence, and Radu Dragusin is available and likely chomping at the bit for another opportunity. If the tactical tweak doesn’t work then moving Romero back into defence can be done seamlessly, but it is certainly worth a go and doing it against Chelsea, who will attempt to dominate the midfield battle, may be the perfect opportunity
