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Opinion: Fans don’t need to worry, key man can still slot into Jose’s Tottenham system

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Two games have gone by since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked at Tottenham and Jose Mourinho has made an exciting winning start to his time at the club, scoring seven and conceding four in his first two games as his side have recorded 3-2 and 4-2 wins, although one man has missed out twice now.

Both games that Mourinho has taken charge of have seen Giovani Lo Celso, the Lilywhites’ 23-year-old loanee from Real Betis, left on the bench. The fans have barely had a chance to see the attacking midfield man in action, although he was starting to get into the side and string some minutes together in Pochettino’s final games.

The last game of the Poch era saw Lo Celso play the full 90 minutes against Sheffield United in the 1-1 draw, and he’s now been left on the bench for every minute of Mourinho’s time at the club, whilst Christian Eriksen has come off the bench twice in the same time.

However, the fans who were desperate to see Lo Celso on the pitch and showing what he can do can still get what they want. The system that Mourinho has been deploying at Spurs, when the club are attacking and in possession, is almost a 3-2-5. Serge Aurier bombs on to create an attacking five, whilst the double midfield pivot makes the two with the left-back tucking in as the three at the back.

Lo Celso has the talent and the versatility to fit into that system, though. Mourinho will still be taking stock of his players and working out what they can do and who is most effective in which areas of his system, and there are two areas where we can see Lo Celso fitting in.

The first one of those is ahead of Lucas Moura in the inside-right position in the five-man attacking line. His creativity, passing and dribbling make him a prime candidate to slot into the role, especially seeing as where Lucas is more direct, he makes up for with his passing range.

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Alternatively, though, should Mourinho want to keep the electric pace of Lucas in the side, he could opt to switch things up deeper. Harry Winks is a top player, combative, passionate and has an eye for a pass, yet Lo Celso can also fit into that role. The Argentine has got all the qualities winks has, and he could thrive picking out passes and making things happen from deep when needed.

It’s clear that a player as talented as Lo Celso will be playing sooner or later, so the fans need not fret over whether or not he’s going to be in the side. Much like Tanguy Ndombele, the Argentine will certainly feature, it’s just a matter of where he fits in and when Mourinho opts to use him.

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