A few months into his reign as Tottenham manager and Mauricio Pochettino looks as if he’s still shuffling his pack to find the best formula for success.
There are obvious weaknesses in the squad – most notably up top where Soldado continues to misfire and Adebayor is on the wane – but it’s still a big squad with a lot of quality.
So in the event of Pochettino having a full roster to pick from, what is Tottenham’s strongest XI?
The goalkeeping position offers no argument whatsoever. At full back we would like to name Jan Vertonghen on the left – he’s so good at those buccaneering forward runs and has a great delivery – but Federico Fazio and Chiriches are yet to prove that they are dependable enough to play alongside Younes Kaboul. So we have the explosive Kyle Walker on the right and the youthful, natural left-footer Ben Davies on the other side, with the brilliant Belgian at the heart of the defence.
Tottenham have a plethora of midfield options. In a 4-2-3-1 they have yet to foster a really convincing partnership in front of the defence. In terms of balance we like to see two mobile players in there. One who simply destroys and another with great passing range. So we have to opt for Dembélé and Capoue. Both need to show more consistency but both have the quality to form a superb shield for the defence.
Further forward, Eriksen has surely cemented his place at number 10. Either side Tottenham have lovely options. Erik Lamela is finally doing the business and Nacer Chadli has been on fire. This leave players like Lennon and the excellent Townsend in reserve. Townsend is only kept out of the eleven by the form of the two starters on the flanks.
Up top the problem area. We think that Harry Kane has an excellent future and should perhaps be considered first choice now. Adebayor still provides a regular stream of goals but, with such a good supporting cast behind him, the goals can be shared about even if Kane takes time to find his scoring boots – but 4 goals in 8 games this season suggest that finding the net won’t be a problem.
So here’s our strongest Tottenham XI. Spurs fans: discuss
