After a vital win over Luton Town on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur’s attention must quickly turn to tonight’s match
West Ham United will be looking to make things difficult for Ange Postecoglou’s side at home, but the visitors will be confident of breaching a weak defense from the Hammers, who conceded four goals to Newcastle late on
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A simple win was a must for the Lilywhites, but they suffered a 2-1 defeat to David Moyes’s side in the second leg, and they have not won against tonight’s opponents since 2019
However, the return of two individuals could make the difference tonight as Spurs look to secure a place in the Champions League
Brennan Johnson must return against West Ham This weekend, Brennan Johnson was simply unbelievable after coming on as a second-half substitute, helping Spurs complete a comeback
Dejan Kulusevski is the player who gave way to the 22-year-old prodigy after achieving a passing accuracy of 67% and winning 2/8 duels
The Welsh striker was unstoppable down the right, immediately impacting the game through his direct approach, pace and movement at the back
Johnson played a huge role in both goals, providing the cross for Issa Kabore’s own goal and setting up Heung-min Son’s winning goal, securing his place in the starting lineup for the evening now
Micky van de Ven must return to the team Micky van de Ven’s first season as a Tottenham player has seen many ups and downs, a promising start interrupted by two hamstring injuries
The most recent was in Spurs’ 4-0 win over Aston Villa in early March, and the Dutch defender only returned to the bench this weekend after several weeks on the bench
Without the 22-year-old player, Postecoglou’s team could not keep a clean sheet, even losing 0-3 to Fulham
Radu Dragusin has been introduced in Van de Ven’s absence, but there is no doubt that when the number 37 is suitable, he will move straight into the left centre-back role alongside Cristian Romero, where he played last season
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According to Football Talent Monitor Jacek Kulig, Van de Ven has been “very impressive” in his first season in the Premier League, and the statistics above prove it
West Ham could choose to deploy a similar strategy against the Hatters tonight, even playing at home, sitting deep and looking to take advantage of Lucas Paqueta’s technical class to launch a counter-attack
This means Van de Ven will have plenty of opportunities to hold the ball and control the pace, and his safety and composure on the ball will be vital
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