Opinion: My strongest Tottenham XI and bench if everyone is fit to play

One thing Spurs have struggled with over the last year is injuries, with a number of first-team stars picking up regular and reoccurring knocks.

This means that Pochettino has rarely had a full complement of players to choose from when it comes to selecting his starting XI.

However, I want to have a go at picking my strongest Spurs XI and bench, providing that every single player in the squad was fit and ready to play.

I have set the team up in a similar style to Liverpool’s strongest XI, with a three-man strike force, three deeper in midfield, and a back four.

In goal, I have gone for Hugo Lloris, who I still believe is Tottenham’s best choice by far.

My back four consists of the experienced Rose, Vertonghen, and Alderweireld, along with the youthful addition of Kyle Walker-Peters.

Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele make the starting XI over Sissoko due to the fact that I believe they are the future of the midfield, with Sissoko now in his thirties.

Eriksen sits just beyond these two, but he could be replaced with Dele Alli if the Dane moves on before the window shuts.

Up front, I have gone for what I believe could become one of the most deadly strike forces in world football, up there with Salah, Firmino, and Mane.

Son, Kane, and Lucas scored 59 goals between them last season, but they rarely get the chance to play in a three.

Substitutes:

Paulo Gazzaniga – The natural choice for a number two at the moment.

Davinson Sanchez – The leading centre-back in terms of pushing Jan and Toby.

Juan Foyth – Can cover centre-back or right-back.

Moussa Sissoko – A good utility player for the midfield and defence.

Erik Lamela – Can play anywhere along that front line.

Dele Alli – Has been in up-and-down form for some time now but still a great player.

Giovani Lo Celso – Still needs to prove himself before he is a regular starter.

Misses out:

Oliver Skipp – On another day, with the squad rotated, he would be on the bench.

Eric Dier – I just think Dele, Lo Celso, and Sissoko offer better options at the moment.

Ben Davies – On another day, Davies would get in there on the bench, but needs to come back and show something after his long-term injury.

Ryan Sessegnon – Still needs to bed into the squad for a few months I think.

Victor Wanyama – I would guess he is on the way out.

Troy Parrott – Definitely an option for cup matches.

Japhet Tanganga – Again, a cup match option.

Serge Aurier – Just isn’t that good in my opinion. I would rather give the young starlets, Foyth and KWP a chance.

Georges-Kevin Nkoudou – A no from me.

Final thought –

Obviously, I would not pick the same starting XI each and every week. Players who missed out would come onto the bench, those on the bench would move into the starting XI, and those in the XI would be rotated and rested. However, what I am thrilled at is how hard this was for me to pick just eleven and a bench. It really shows how much stronger and deeper the Spurs squad is this season.

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