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11th in the Premier League table and still bereft of senior defenders, Ange Postecoglou is not exactly loving life in north London.
Tottenham undoubtedly entertain and they did so once again in a 6-3 defeat of league leaders Liverpool, but Postecoglou’s idealism in the absence of a best XI is starting to see the Lilywhites emerge somewhat of a parody.
It could be remarkable to see them star in full cry and praise against the division’s best, but how far can Postecoglou take this? Tottenham team? Performance in the Cup will be crucial for the Australians this term.
Festive cheer is in short supply in the white half of north London, and Spurs could be in for a tough Boxing Day as they travel to the red-hot Nottingham Forest. Here’s how visitors can line up at City Grounds.
GK: Fraser Forster – Forster performed well after Guglielmo Vicario broke his leg at the Etihad, but had a nightmare few days on home soil. Perhaps it would be better off the N17 on Boxing Day.
RB: DJ Spence – Pedro Poro’s Instagram deactivation failed to deliver the desired results on the field, with the Spaniard continuing to struggle. Spence has been superb since his integration and could get the nod at right-back over Poro.
CB: Radu Dragusin – An impressive box defender who is haphazard in possession, Dragusin may well have excelled under a previous regime in north London. Romanian Spurs’ only senior centre-back available.
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 attractive building block for the future.
LB: Destiny Udogi – The Italian international was back among the substitutes at the weekend Southampton. Postecoglou will have to rotate on Thursday and Udogi could be back in the side.
CM: Rodrigo Bentanker – Yves Bissoma has been forced to play a lot in the last month, but Bentanker has returned from his seven-game ban. There may be some rust, but the boss may be tempted to give the Mali international some relief.
Chief Minister: Pep Sir – The relentless Senegalese star is a key cog in Postecoglou’s engine room, suggesting he save it for a trip to the City Ground when the game ends on Sunday.
Chief Minister: Dejan Kulusevski – The Swede has shown he can still operate effectively, but Postecoglou is likely to return Kulusevski to the center of the park. Most of his good work this season has come from the central position.
RW: Brennan Johnson – Johnson has been featured more sporadically of late and production has slowed. The Welshman has contributed 13 goals this term, but has not scored in his previous six games. However, the winger should return to the team for his first start since the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea in the rotation.
ST: Dominic Solanke – Solanke is pulling his weight, no doubt. The big-money summer arrival has contributed four goals in his previous two games, and despite fears of overuse, bosses have been left with little option but to start Solanke again on Boxing Day.
LW: Son Hang-min – The Spurs skipper has been struggling with workload and was weak at the weekend. He could do with a breather here, but Timo Werner has fallen so sharply down the pecking order that Postecoglou will probably stick with the fading South Korean superstar.
