Why AVB will have fun picking his XI‏

Article by Marc Ashed

Now that the transfer window has closed and the dust has settled, it's time to completely focus on getting the most out of the squad. We truly have 2+ players for every position and with the switch to the 4.3.3, it will be interesting to see more of the formation and its adaptation to our squad. AVB is a brilliant coach and truly a student of the game. He has the tools that he asked for now and I trust that he will turn us into a contender either this year or next. Here is what I think is the depth chart for our team and some thinking behind it.

GK- Hugo Lloris, Brad Friedel, Heurelho Gomes.

Easy decision, looks like Brad will play some in Europa League but Hugo is one of the top 5 keepers in Europe at the moment.

 

LB- Danny Rose, Zeki Fryers

Again, easy decision. Rose has gotten unnecessary criticism lately, hes very good going forward and will refine his defensive game as the season goes on. Fryers looks to be a very good project and should be able to provide cover.

 

CB- Jan Vertonghen, Younes Kaboul, Vlad Chiriches, Michael Dawson

Vlad could be starting ahead of Kaboul in January but as long as Kaboul's knee holds up, he is above Vlad and Michael Dawson. Kaboul's uncompromising style is a nice foil for Jan's elegance and class. Vlad has similar abilities to Jan which would make for a very exciting duo if played together. Dawson has the heart but not the ability to play for a top team week in and week out.

 

RB- Kyle Walker, Kyle Naughton

Walker needs to avoid some mental errors but he has all of the physical tools to be an outstanding right back. Naughton looks more comfortable as a right back and will see a few games and provide cover for LB also.

 

DM- Sandro, Etienne Capoue, Mousa Dembele

I include Mousa Dembele in this position because Capoue will be out for a month and I think Dembele is capable of playing this defensive role. Sandro is the top player at this spot, even with a healthy Capoue. I think he would have started against Arsenal if he felt 100% confident on his knee but he's still getting there. He will probably start vs. Norwich but he won't play all 5 games in the next 2.5 weeks. Capoue is as good of a backup as you can ask for. Shame there' s only one starting spot for this position in a 3 man midfield. Mousa has always lacked creativity. He is a strong dribbler but its never going anywhere and his passing is plain. His strength carrying the ball and disrupting other teams attacks would translate well to a deeper role.

 

No. 6 CM- Paulinho, Lewis Holtby, Mousa Dembele

Yes, this positional ranking may gain some attention but hear me out. Paulinho's comparisons to Frank Lampard haven't been completely evident but I think they would be with a proper no.10 in front of him. He has had 2 great games and our lack of direction in the midfield hurt him and the others against Arsenal. Combine Lewis Holtby's energy and defensive effort with his offensive game this year and when at Schalke, and you have a classic no.6. He is able to go box to box and offers far more creativity from this position than Dembele. He has said multiple times that he feels that this position is his best and AVB has said that Lewis has the versatility to play any of the midfield spots. He played great against subpar competition vs. Tblisi but feel that he should have been handed a role against Arsenal, if not a start ahead of Mousa who has struggled this year providing anything offensively.

 

No. 10 AM- Christian Eriksen, Lewis Holtby, Gylfi Sigurdsson

Christian Eriksen is one of the top under 21 creative midfielders in the world. He has starred for Ajax since he was 18, notching double digit assists and goals each season. He has been compared to Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van der Vaart by Ajax coaches. I'm not only saying this because he has been one of my favourite non-Spurs players in the world the last 2 seasons but he is on the way to being a star and choosing Spurs over PSG shows his intelligence and maturity. He can do it all, pick a pass, dribble by a few defenders, score goals in or out of the box and he can take a superb free kick as well. Lewis Holtby would provide good cover for this position but as I mentioned above, he prefers to play deeper and I think he will get plenty of chances at no.6 and no.10 to continue to improve. Gylfi will be given limited starting chances but should still be a player to come off the bench due to his versatility at left wing and no. 10. He just hasn't shown enough to deserve faith from AVB and the staff despite being given many chances.

 

LW- Aaron Lennon, Nacer Chadli, Gylfi Sigurdsson

Aaron Lennon gets the nod at this spot for me for a few reasons. 1. He tracks back better than any other winger on our team and when combining on the left with Danny Rose, we need a disciplined player who can help shoulder the defensive responsibility on that side of the pitch. 2. He is more direct than Nacer. While Lennon failed to provide the final ball over and over against Crystal Palace, he tested the defense and I think cutting in on his favoured right foot with the whole field in front of him, he can produce with 3 goal scorers (Soldado, Lamela & Eriksen) and a true creative player (Eriksen) in the central mid taking pressure off of the wings. Chadli has been fantastic and really doesn't deserve to lose his spot in my XI but I think the chemistry in a Lennon-Soldado-Lamela front 3 would produce the best results.

 

ST- Roberto Soldado, Emmanuel Adebayor, Jermain Defoe, Shaq Coulthirst

Easy choice here. Bobby Soldier has been clinical from the penalty spot and lacked service in open play. Hopefully with our new creative additions, he will start to get more opportunities. A motivated and fit Adebayor is a better player than Defoe any day of the week and offers a different physical presence than JD. I've got a bad taste in my mouth from when JD went to Twitter and retweeted something negative about Soldado. Shaq Coulthirst should get the nod for squad player over Kane. Better ability and potential.

 

RW- Erik Lamela, Andros Townsend

Two incredible options for the right wing. Lamela, our record signing is one of the few in the world that has the potential and tools to resemble Gareth Bale. Not replace him but some of the things that he can do are special. 15 goals and 5 assists last season for Roma and I think that his assist total will rise this year with the amount of options around him. He is clear first choice despite having a terrific player in the same spot. Townsend has a great ability to take on defenders similar to Lennon but produce a better final result. Sometimes he lowers his head and gets too selfish but there are few that can change a game in the 70th minute off the bench, like he can.

 

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