Three big decisions Pochettino has to make for Spurs v Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool on Saturday afternoon, and it’s a game which carries a lot of weight for both clubs.

With the two teams intent on challenging at the top of the Premier League to the very end of the season, there’s no getting away from the fact a loss here – particularly for Spurs who have already dropped three points away to Watford – would seriously eat into any likely points cushion afforded to them, going by the standards set by the Manchester City side which dropped just 14 points on their path to the title last term.

With three wins and a loss, Tottenham’s start to the season has been okay but the performances have not been at the levels seen in previous years.

This is a side that’s understandably less fluent after a busy summer at the World Cup, with training, preparation and fitness perhaps not where it would be in an odd year. But even so, there has been some gloss, most notably the 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford; that was a spectacular win in spite of a sloppy performance.

But the Lilywhites have looked uncharacteristically feeble in defence, best exemplified by those quick-fire goals conceded at Vicarage Road to end their perfect record this season.

So now, as his team take on Jurgen Klopp’s impressive Liverpool, Mauricio Pochettino has some key decisions to make as he chooses the how to set his starting XI.

1. Lucas or Son?

Should Pochettino continue pairing Lucas Moura with Harry Kane in attack, or introduce the recently returned Asian Cup champion Son Heung-min to the starting XI?

Lucas has looked a real threat for Spurs in the most part this season, with the winger playing in an unusual central striking role much like Raheem Sterling for City and England. Like Sterling, he’s got the blistering pace and direct style to create panic, and he can actually finish it seems; the two he got against United were clinical strikes.

He probably won’t be Spurs’ Mohamed Salah in terms of scoring output this season, those sorts of meteoric rises will likely remain rare. But it’s clear Lucas is benefitting from being at a club which values him, under a coach who rates his abilities, in a team where he can express himself.

Son, of course, is a talent; last season he punished Liverpool at Wembley and scored 12 in 37 games – rarely playing in a conventional striker position – and he’ll get into double figures again this term, but Lucas deserves his start on account of his form this season. The two players should feature in the same line-up against lesser opposition. Son will make an appearance on Saturday, no doubt.

Dele Alli, meanwhile, is out with a thigh strain for Saturday’s, while Erik Lamela – who has looked fresh this season – will most likely feature from the bench if at all.

Verdict: Start Lucas Moura.

2. Field a back three, or four?

Should Pochettino go for a back three featuring Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez or a flat back four?

You can bet Liverpool will continue with their fluid 4-3-3 formation, and as was seen in England’s semi-final against Croatia, a dominant side playing 4-3-3 can quite easily peg the full-backs in a 3-5-2 back, forcing the midfield three to have to drop and spread themselves thin across the width of the pitch.

The game’s at Wembley and Liverpool are marginal favourites, so Pochettino might think it’s worth matching their formation to try and nullify it. He certainly could on Saturday – the Argentinian has a habit of switching to a back four for reasons not immediately clear to fans and pundits – and he would be able to field an extra attacker too, but he’ll likely want to deal with the most pressing issue at hand and that’s Liverpool’s front three, and so the more defenders the better.

So really it becomes a question of what sort of game does Pochettino expect? Does he expect to cede control of the match even though it’s at home, because Liverpool are that good and are the in-form team, and thus match them, or will he stick his faith in the team and his plan A? A potted history of the man at Spurs shows he’ll likely go for the latter.

Verdict: Go with a back five.

3. Play Dier or not?

Should Pochettino field Eric Dier at the base of the midfield, or bring in Harry Winks or even Victor Wanyama?

Dier is somewhat a maligned figure for England, despite scoring the winning penalty to beat Colombia at the World Cup. That’s because between him and Jordan Henderson, the fans expect, or rather hope, that something resembling Xabi Alonso can be conjured, when in reality neither are good enough technicians at the highest level.

In the case of Dier, he’s still very much a centre-back turned defensive midfielder; Alderweireld is a better passer than him. But for all his limitations he’s a good holding player who follows instruction, although he’s played a lot of matches, 184 games in four and a bit seasons. After a pretty lacklustre performance against Switzerland, it might be worth introducing academy product Harry Winks.

Winks certainly warrants a big role this season – seeing as Spurs didn’t sign any new central midfielders and Mousa Dembele won’t be able to play every game – and his passing and ball retention is special for a young English player, but Pochettino will most likely go with Dier against Liverpool, again, with that attack in mind. Winks could feasibly start against Inter on Tuesday, or perhaps vice-versa. Wanyama, another possible option, was a sub against Watford but he’s yet to play a minute of football this season and won’t be match fit after his lengthy injury lay off.

Verdict: Stick with Dier, for now.

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