Thomas Frank starts Cristian Romero in four changes – Tottenham predicted XI vs Copenhagen
Thomas Frank will be looking to bounce back from Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea with a win in the UEFA Champions League.
Tottenham suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday in the Premier League in one of their worst performances of the season.
Indeed, defeat at home to the Blues was where it all went wrong for Ange Postecoglou in his first season at Tottenham, and Frank will want to avoid meeting the same fate.
As a result, a win will be exactly what the Dane needs to restore confidence in his tactics once again against Copenhagen on Tuesday.
Richarlison to replace Randal Kolo Muani after atrocious Chelsea performance
It can be said that Frank is setting Randal Kolo Muani up to fail at Tottenham with his inability to coach purposeful attacks.
Indeed, the French international has yet to register a single shot on target in the Premier League, despite completing 87 per cent of his passes, according to Sofascore.
This reflects Spurs’ attacking output this season:
- Tottenham registered 0.10 expected goals against Chelsea
- Spurs took just three shots
- The Lilywhites have created just 1.7 big chances per game in the league
As a result, Richarlison could replace Kolo Muani in the game against Copenhagen, having offered slightly more in attack this season.
Meanwhile, Wilson Odobert could come in for Lucas Bergvall on the left wing after the latter sustained a head injury against Chelsea. This would see Frank return to the classic 4-3-3 formation.
Given how the Dane has lined up this season, he will likely stick with the same midfield trio of Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr to face Copenhagen at home on 4 November.
However, Frank could make two defensive changes. This would see Destiny Udogie start over Djed Spence and Kevin Danso return to the bench to allow Cristian Romero to come in.
Danso was particularly poor against the Blues:
- He lost four of his six attempted aerial duels
- Danso committed two fouls
- He won 50 per cent of his tackles
Romero, on the other hand, won 100 per cent of his tackles and aerial duels after replacing Danso. He also won five out of seven attempted ground duels.
Guglielmo Vicario is expected to retain his spot in the starting line-up after his heroic performance against Chelsea, something that has become regular at this moment.
Why Tottenham will struggle against Copenhagen
For most teams, playing at home offers some sort of relief, but not Tottenham.
Indeed, the defeat to the Blues made it only three wins in 18 games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It has developed into a vicious cycle where the Lilywhites lose a game of football, go on to meet the boos of fans, which creates a poor atmosphere, making it difficult for players to perform well.
Only a victory would solve this issue, but at the rate Frank’s side are moving, this seems unlikely. As a result, the Lilywhites will be their own worst enemy against Copenhagen on Tuesday.
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