Ange Postecoglou gets it wrong as Oliver Skipp starts for Tottenham v Everton
Ange Postecoglou has opted to start with Oliver Skipp in his midfield against Everton despite Giovani Lo Celso’s return to fitness.
Tottenham are set to host in-form Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday 23 December.
The Toffees arrive in north London having won their past four league matches without conceding a single goal, and Postecoglou will know that his Spurs side are in for a difficult afternoon.
With this in mind, the Australian’s team selection might have raised a few eyebrows around the ground ahead of kick-off.
Despite confirming during his pre-match press conference on Friday (BBC Sport, 22 December) that Lo Celso was available to start, the 58-year-old has opted to start with Skipp in midfield.
This is despite the Englishman not having the best of games last time out during the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Friday 15 December.
After Brennan Johnson received a nasty cut to the face just past the half-hour mark, Skipp replaced the Wales international for the remaining hour of the contest, and his performance left much to be desired.
As per Sofascore, while he did complete 87 per cent of his passes with one of those being key, he struggled elsewhere, winning just a third of his ground duels (two out of six) and losing the only aerial duel he contested.
He managed just one clearance and one tackle, while he was dribbled past on two occasions and failed to complete any successful dribbles.
Lo Celso’s last start came in the 2-1 home defeat against West Ham (7 December), where he completed 90 per cent of his passes with three of those being key, and won five ground duels and four fouls for his side, while also hitting the woodwork.
Therefore, it is a surprise that Postecoglou has not opted to include the creative midfielder in his team against Sean Dyche’s side, especially in the absence of James Maddison.
Let’s hope this does not come back to haunt us.
In other Tottenham news, a recent Daniel Levy decision could still pay dividends at the club after a “wild development.”