This is it, then; Tottenham Hotspur’s season comes down to this.
Ange Postecoglou’s side take on Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final and sit three games away from an incredible achievement.
However, to ensure they get to the final in Bilbao, the North Londoners will need to perform substantially better than they did on Sunday.
To ensure that happens, the manager needs to make some significant changes to the starting lineup, changes that should see Djed Spence and several others dropped.
The Spurs players who should be dropped
So, starting off, it should go without saying that Postecoglou should be looking to drop both Kevin Danso and Ben Davies for tonight’s game, as while they were not the worst offenders at Anfield, they are no match for Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
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Likewise, while he’s undoubtedly going to have a big future at the club, Archie Gray should come out of the side, as he looked far from convincing on Sunday, earning a 3/10 match rating from the Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick and completing just 12 passes in the first half.
Finally, Spence should also come out of the team, as he was another player who had a seriously torrid time against Liverpool.
The usually impressive full-back earned a dismal 4/10 match rating from Kilpatrick, who wrote that he was poor in possession and was ‘ran ragged’ by Luis Diaz.
While it might sound harsh, it’s an opinion backed up by the statistics, as in 94 minutes, he amassed an expected goal plus assists figure of 0.05, made a single tackle, lost seven of eight duels, lost the ball 20 times, was accurate in 16 of 27 passes, misplaced 100% of his crosses and five of his six long balls, took a single shot off target and failed in 100% of his dribbles.
Minutes
94′
Expected Goals
0.02
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.03
Assists
0
Tackles
1
Duels (Won)
8 (1)
Passing Accuracy
16/27 (59%)
Key Passes
0
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Long Balls (Accurate)
6 (1)
Dribbles (Successful)
3 (0)
Shots on Target
0
Shots off Target
1
In all, it was a dreadful attacking and defensive display from Spence, and given the importance of tonight’s game, one that should see him start on the bench.
The Spurs star who should replace Spence
While Bodø/Glimt have taken some impressive scalps en route to this game, it would be fair to say that they’ll be massive underdogs against Spurs, and as such the hosts will likely spend most of the game attacking.
So, with this in mind, it seems like the perfect game to start Pedro Porro ahead of Spence.
Now, it’s certainly true that the Spaniard has a defensive mistake in him – as we’ve seen on numerous occasions this season – but it is equally true that he’s an incredible passer of the ball, and when on song, an unreal outlet from the right-hand side.
For example, even though he’s not had the best of campaigns this season, the former Sporting CP star has managed to rack up an impressive tally of eight assists and three goals.
Moreover, FBref places the “titanic” ace, as dubbed by The Athletic’s former Spurs correspondent Charlie Eccleshare, in the top 1% of full-backs in the Premier League for crosses into the penalty area, the top 2% for key passes, passes into the penalty area, shot-creating actions and general crosses, the top 5% for touches in the attacking third, the top 6% for switches and more, all per 90.
Crosses into Penalty Area
0.95
Top 1%
Key Passes
1.97
Top 2%
Passes into Penalty Area
2.01
Top 2%
Crosses
6.98
Top 2%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.80
Top 2%
Touches in the Attacking Third
27.37
Top 5%
Switches
0.51
Top 6%
Blocks
1.61
Top 6%
Total Shots
1.35
Top 8%
So, if Postecoglou’s side are likely to have far more of the ball at home, then it makes far more sense to start someone whose primary strength is chance creation.
Ultimately, Spurs have the chance to essentially win the tie tonight, and the best way to do that is by starting their most dangerous players, including Porro.
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