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Despite it being often alleged that comparatively lesser squad depth always hinders Tottenham in the Big Six battle at the Premier League’s summit, Mauricio Pochettino boasts an embarrassment of riches across the attacking midfield berth for Chelsea’s visit to Wembley.
In a tricky selection dilemma, six options need to be slimmed down to the three most suitable for Saturday’s opponents.
While he’s endured a difficult start to the season due to a series of injury problems, managing only seven of a possible 12 Premier League outings, Dele Alli should be Pochettino’s first attacking midfield inclusion this weekend, leaving him with a subsequent choice of two out of the remaining five.
Alli’s stunning record
Alli’s always been a big-game player and that particularly rings true in one of the biggest fixtures on the Tottenham calendar, their regular skirmishes with bitter rivals Chelsea that have been very much at the forefront of English football over the last few years.
From just five meetings with the Blues, the 6 foot 2 midfielder has returned four goals and one assist – those strikes coming in the form of two braces, on both occasions proving the difference in 2-0 and 3-1 wins for the Lilywhites, as well as a set up during his first outing against Chelsea back in 2016.
But more than simply output, Alli’s overall game seems to jump up a level upon facing the west Londoners, especially in terms of running with the ball at his feet. He’s averaged 2. 4 dribbles per match against Chelsea, a return 1.35 higher than his per game average in the Premier League since joining Spurs from MK Dons.
Sacking Jorginho
That latter statistic takes particular relevance when put into the context of the tactical ideas behind Saturday’s game. Maurizio Sarri has brought a new, possession-based style of football to Stamford Bridge and summer signing Jorginho has been an intrinsic part of that, but Everton showed before the international break that if you press the Italian, you can really bog Chelsea down by nullifying the orchestrative qualities he brings to the team.
Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below
In Alli though, Tottenham have the ability to go one step further – instead of simply cancelling out Jorginho, turning arguably Chelsea’s biggest strength into their fundamental weakness. Manchester City’s Community Shield victory over the Blues owed much to how they managed to catch Jorginho in possession before breaking from advantageous positions and while its easier said than done, Spurs have the right players for it – incredibly athletic and mobile attacking options who already know how to press high and win the ball in dangerous areas.
All is the prime example here; during Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this season, he made the most tackles and interceptions of any Spurs player – nearly all of which were around the halfway line, where Chelsea’s deep-sitting playmaker tends to operate. Combine that with his proven dribbling ability and netting prowess when facing Chelsea, and Alli should be the most important player on Pochettino’s team sheet this weekend.
Which three players would you start in attacking midfield against Chelsea, Tottenham fans? Let us know by voting below…
