Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou must start Yves Bissouma against Wolves
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou should make a key midfield change when Wolves visit North London on Saturday 17 February.
Spurs will host Gary O’Neil’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.
Three points would see Postecoglou and his players tighten their grip on fourth spot as they look to make a return to the UEFA Champions League next season following a year out of Europe.
Aston Villa are just one point behind Spurs in fifth and travel to Fulham at the same time that Spurs host Wolves, with the race for top four beginning to heat up.
Neither side can avoid to drop points, especially with Manchester United slowly starting to climb the table after their 2-1 win against Unai Emery’s side at Villa Park on Sunday 11 February.
Supporters inside the ground on Saturday will expect nothing less than a win, and Postecoglou must ensure that he gets his team selection spot on.
Spurs are almost back to full strength, with the majority of their key players once again available, and one of those players should be called up for his first Tottenham start in over two months.
Yves Bissouma must replace Rodrigo Bentancur for Tottenham
Bissouma made a fantastic start to the season but after two red cards in as many months before a trip to the African Cup of Nations with Mali in January, the former Brighton man has hardly been seen as of late.
Meanwhile, after back-to-back serious injuries, Bentancur spent most of the first part of the season on the sidelines but has returned to action in Bissouma’s absence.
However, the Uruguay international has struggled in recent weeks and looked a shadow of his former self, and now that Bissouma is back in North London, Postecoglou should think about shuffling his midfield against Wolves.
In the 2-1 win over Brighton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 10 February, Bentancur struggled with the pace of the game as he completed just 82 per cent of his passes, with none of those key, won just four of his seven ground duels and was dribbled past twice (Sofascore).
He was replaced in the 62nd minute as part of a triple substitution which saw Bissouma enter the field of play and the 27-year-old would go on to complete 100 per cent of his passes, make three interceptions and three clearances in what was his first Spurs appearance since he was sent off against Nottingham Forest on 15 December.
Postecoglou utilised a midfield three of Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison earlier in the season, and that trio worked wonders as Tottenham won eight of their first 10 league matches, drawing the other two.
If Bentancur was to be dropped, it would be hard for the midfielder to complain, with his performance against Brighton just one example of his sloppy form in recent weeks.
In the 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday 3 February, he once again completed just 82 per cent of his passes and won just two of his seven ground duels this time as well as one of his five aerial duels while he was also dribbled past once.
It was a similar story in the 3-2 win against Brentford on Wednesday 31 January, where Bentancur didn’t even emerge for the second half as he was axed at half-time by his manager.
If anything, the 26-year-old might benefit from a rest against Wolves, and Bissouma demonstrated against Brighton that he is ready to reclaim his spot this weekend.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy has put on another masterclass with Spurs set for a multi-million payday later this year.
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