After a rough start to this season, which saw them lose to Arsenal and Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur appear to have found their rhythm again.
Ange Postecoglou’s side scraped past Coventry City in the League Cup last week, but on the weekend, they put in a seriously impressive performance to beat a Brentford side that gave Manchester City a run for their money the week before.
However, there’s no time to reflect on the victory as the North Londoners kickstart their Europa League campaign with a home game against Azerbaijani giants Qarabağ FK this evening.
While Postecoglou might be tempted to go with the same team that won on the weekend, he shouldn’t. Instead, the Australian should look to rest several important first-team players like club captain Son Heung-min and start some of the club’s incredibly talented youngsters.
Why Son should be dropped
So, we’ll just cut right to the chase with this one, as it’s not his form that should see Son dropped to the bench for tonight’s game, but his fitness.
The South Korean superstar might not have started this season in scintillating fashion, but he’s undoubtedly one of the most important players in Postecoglou’s squad, both for his on-pitch exploits and leadership qualities, although at 32 years old, his minutes need to be managed.
Following this evening’s game, the North Londoners have a must-win clash with Manchester United on Sunday, a tricky away game against Hungarian giants Ferencvaros on Thursday, and then another seriously challenging away clash with the high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday before another international break halts the season for just under two weeks.
Of the next four matches, tonight’s is probably the only one in which the manager can afford to rest the former Bayer Leverkusen star due to the level of the opposition and the fact that it is at home. So, with the intention of keeping Son fit and firing for the following three games, he should be on the bench.
Why Mikey Moore should start
Yes, 17-year-old Mikey Moore, one of the club’s most talked-about and exciting young talents, should make his first competitive start for the Lilywhites tonight.
For example, in his 33 appearances across the various junior sides, the “exceptional” talent, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists, equating to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 0.94 games.
Moreover, the Southwark-born gem, whom Mango claims was “born to play football,” hasn’t just been impressive for the North Londoners’ youth teams.
In 34 games for the England U15, U16, U17, and U19 sides, the right-footed dynamo has scored 18 goals and provided seven assists, meaning he’s averaging a goal involvement every 1.36 games in the national set-up.
Aside from his outrageously impressive form, the other argument for starting the youngster in tonight’s game is that he needs to start playing for the first team more this season to help his development and illustrate that there is a path to regular football at the club, and while Qarabağ won’t be a walkover, it should be a far more forgivable fixture than most others this season.
Ultimately, Spurs need to rest Son tonight to keep him fit and firing for the tougher fixtures to come, and Moore deserves the chance to make his first competitive start for the club, so the youngster should come in for the captain.
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