Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg must be handed Tottenham start for West Ham United clash after what happened v Manchester City
Tottenham will be keen to stay in the running for the Champions League places with a victory in their upcoming clash with West Ham on Thursday (7 December).
The busy fixture list may force Ange Postecoglou into various changes to his starting XI, with the midfield an area that he could particularly focus on given the energy output involved from those playing in that position.
The Tottenham manager opted to start Giovani Lo Celso and Yves Bissouma in holding roles against Manchester City on Sunday (3 December), with Byran Gil, Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson starting ahead of them.
But the struggles of Gil, whose 20 touches were the lowest of any starter [Sofascore], forced the visiting boss into a half-time replacement.
That came in the form of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with the Denmark international impressing with two clearances and an 88% passing accuracy, with two out of his three long passes completed [Sofascore]. Moreover, the midfield ace lost possession just six times and won two fouls for the visitors at the Etihad.
Postecoglou will be reluctant to change his formation when the Hammers come to North London, but the issue could be resolved by handing Hojbjerg a start in defensive midfield and pushing Lo Celso forward at the expense of Gil.
The latter has proven his ability to find the back of the net with two goals in his last two matches, with his scoring chances only going to increase with a more attacking role.
And if he needs to occupy a central attacking role as opposed to Gil’s left-wing position, Postecolgou can simply start with Kulusevski out wide, with Brennan Johnson on the other side, with the former shining against Manchester City with a goal and assist, as the latter also impressed with an assist and two key passes [Sofascore].
With journalist Alex Keble (5 December) suggesting that Tottenham are “most vulnerable” against an approach involving a deep line of engagement and focus on counter-attacks, which West Ham rely upon, a more defensive-minded player like Hojbjerg is exactly what is needed.
Their tendency to sit deep under David Moyes is epitomised by their rank of second in the Premier League this season for progressive carries played against them, with 343, and third for progressive passes played against them, with 689 [official Premier League website, 5 December].
In a double positive for Postecoglou, a more advanced and creative-minded Lo Celso may just be the spark needed to break that low block, while Hojbjerg can sit deep and prevent any speedy breaks from the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
As per the official Premier League website, the Dane has made 34 recoveries and 11 clearances this season, despite playing just 475 minutes [Transfermarkt].
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou has an ideal Harry Kane replacement under his nose, the player could save the club millions.