Ahead of this weekend’s crucial Premier League matchup against Aston Villa, we’ve put together the starting Tottenham XI we’d like Roberto De Zerbi to name.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to return to action on Saturday in the Premier League’s early kick‑off when they take on Aston Villa.
The two sides are not in the best of form coming into the weekend’s encounter, as they both remain winless after four matches this season.
Spurs are not just without a win but also remain without a goal, while Villa have managed to score the one goal in six hours of football.
However, when the two sides last met last season, it was Tottenham who came out on top thanks to a strike from Conor Gallagher.
This weekend, Roberto De Zerbi has a big task on his hands, and that is picking the right XI. As fans, Spurs Web has now highlighted the XI they want to see.
The Tottenham XI we want to see vs Aston Villa
Ironically, defence seems to be the least of Tottenham’s problems this season, at least judging from their last two outings.
Spurs have managed two clean sheets in four games, and that is a respectable return. Such a run is not surprising given that the back four has stayed consistent in the last four matches.
Antonin Kinsky in goal has been superb for Tottenham, but so has the back four that has played in front of him.
Pedro Porro at right‑back, Jan Paul van Hecke at right centre‑back, Micky van de Ven at left centre‑back and Destiny Udogie at left‑back are the four‑man defence we want to see, and we expect De Zerbi to name them on Saturday.
Pedro Porro was a doubt, but De Zerbi has since declared him fit enough to start against Villa this weekend.
The midfield changes we want to see Spurs make
Moving on to midfield, this is where we expect to see changes. For most of this season, De Zerbi has stuck with a midfield of Sandro Tonali and Rodrigo Bentancur, and then either Mateus Fernandes or Conor Gallagher in the number ten position.
However, Tonali is said to have picked up a knock, making him a doubt for this weekend. This should allow for a midfield reshuffle.
Fernandes was brilliant off the bench in the midweek clash against Liverpool, with his stats showing he can do a job as a pivot midfielder.
We expect him to come in for Tonali, who has yet to hit the ground running in a Spurs shirt. We also want to see Fernandes partnered by Bentancur.
Interestingly, the Uruguayan has been the best midfielder so far this season given what he offers both in and out of possession.
Up in the number ten spot, we also want to see another change, with James Maddison coming into the team.
Spurs need creativity in the centre of the park, and that has been lacking so far this season. Maddison is the natural creator in the team, and while he might not be 100% in terms of fitness, we would love to see him start even if it is for 45 minutes.
The front three we want to see vs Villa
In attack, we would love to see Savio off the right and Dominic Solanke down the middle. That would allow Omar Marmoush to play on the left, but not as a touchline winger.
The Egyptian instead should stay a lot closer to Solanke so the two can link up. Udogie’s addition would allow this tactic to work well, as he could hold width on the left when Tottenham are in possession.
Marmoush tucking in would also allow for more bodies in the box for crosses, and hopefully he can find the back of the net. In all, this is the Tottenham XI we want to see:
Kinsky; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Udogie; Fernandes, Bentancur, Maddison; Savio, Solanke, Marmoush