Ange Postecoglou gets it wrong as Emerson Royal starts for Tottenham v Bournemouth
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou could live to regret his team selection after starting Emerson Royal in the New Year’s Eve clash with Bournemouth.
The Cherries arrive in north London in fantastic form, unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches, and Postecoglou will know that he and his players have a tough task on their hands.
As a result, the decision to start Emerson could come back to bite the Australian, particularly with the incredible form of Dominic Solanke up top for Andoni Iraola’s side.
Solanke has eight goals in his last seven league matches and will be looking to add to his impressive tally of 12 overall in the Premier League this season.
His ability in the air could be a worry for Tottenham fans inside the ground, especially after Emeron’s performance in the 4-2 defeat at Brighton on Thursday 28 December.
As per Sofascore, the Brazil international was poor against Brighton, winning zero per cent of his aerial duels while being dribbled past twice.
It is the aerial duel stat which makes for particularly concerning reading and adds to the surprise of Postecoglou starting the right-back at centre-half.
Eric Dier is among the substitutes, and although he is not a favourite of the 58-year-old, his involvement could have been more beneficial to deal with the threat of Solanke, due to his superior ability in the air compared with his Brazillian counterpart.
Nonetheless, Emerson has demonstrated recently that he can perform when called upon.
During the 2-1 home win against Everton on Saturday 23 December, the 24-year-old was immense.
He won 12 of his 14 ground duels, and made five clearances, five tackles and eight interceptions, while he also won 100% of his aerial duels that day.
Therefore, Spurs fans will be hoping to see a bit more of that Emerson against Bournemouth, rather than the one who was so disappointing against Brighton.
In other Tottenham news, fans won’t believe their eyes as Rodrigo Bentancur is named in the starting lineup against Bournemouth.