Postecoglou to axe Son in five changes – Tottenham predicted XI v Elfsborg
Ange Postecoglou could drop Son Heung-min from his Tottenham starting line-up to face Elfsborg at home in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
Spurs will be desperate to bounce back from their 2-1 loss against Leicester when they return to European action on 30 January, but the injury crisis in the squad means that Postecoglou does not have the luxury to rotate his squad entirely.
The Greek-Australian manager will be forced into a change in the goalkeeper department as winter signing Antonin Kinsky is not registered in the Europa League squad, thus handing a start to Brandon Austin.
Richarlison’s injury at the weekend means that Postecoglou has a similar situation up top, thus making Will Lankshear a likely starter on Thursday.
Apart from that, the 59-year-old could drop Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Son in favour of Yves Bissouma, James Maddison and Mikey Moore.
James Maddison and Mikey Moore to start in Tottenham v Elfsborg
Cristian Romero and Djed Spence are edging closer to a return from injuries, but there are no guarantees that they are fit enough to start against Elfsborg [Premier Injuries], meaning Postecoglou may be forced to stick with a back four of Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies and Archie Gray.
Sergio Reguilon not being named in the Europa League squad leaves the former Celtic boss with no option but to stick with Gray at left-back.
The 59-year-old is not spoilt for choice in midfield either, but he might just give rests to Bergvall and Sarr, who he admitted should not have started against Leicester [The Athletic].
Bergvall was one of Spurs better performers against Leicester, completing 38 of his 42 passes and creating two chances [FotMob], but having started in all but one of their seven games in January, he is due a rest.
Maddison missed the fixture against Leicester due to a knock, but could return to the line-up in the Swede’s place.
The England international starred in Tottenham’s 3-2 Europa League win against Hoffenheim last Thursday (23 January), bagging a goal and an assist.
He completed 37 of his 40 passes (92 per cent accuracy) and created three chances – more than anyone else in the game, while also playing four accurate long balls with a 100 per cent success rate. He was also heavily involved in other areas of the pitch, winning five of his 11 ground duels.
Bissouma, meanwhile, is an option to replace Sarr, although he made an error leading to a goal in the 2-1 defeat against Arsenal on 15 January. He has not started for Postecoglou’s side since then and was an unused substitute at the weekend.
Son’s importance to the Spurs team cannot be understated. However, with Richarlison joining Dominic Solanke and Timo Werner on the treatment table, Postecoglou might want him to lead the line at Brentford on Sunday (2 February) and, therefore, cannot risk him getting injured against Elfsborg.
Moore could, thus, make his first start since the 3-0 FA Cup win against Tamworth on 12 January. He caused a headache for the opposition defenders by attempting seven dribbles and completed four of them that day. He also won seven of his 13 ground duels and will be looking to produce a similar performance if he is given the nod on Thursday.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski are the only players likely to keep their places in midfield and attack, while Lankshear is expected to lead the line in Richarlison’s absence.
In other Tottenham news, a former Manchester United manager has emerged as an option to replace Postecoglou.
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