Spurs travel to Old Trafford tomorrow night (kick-off 8.15 PM BST) to take on Manchester United, who are currently 5th in the Premier League.
Spurs will be looking to build on a four-match unbeaten run in all competitions, which includes winning three successive games against Brighton, Eintracht Frankfurt and Everton, whilst United – who themselves are unbeaten in four in all competitions since their capitulation at the Etihad – will be looking to return to winning ways after a 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle on Sunday.
The hosts may very well have to do this without the services of Spurs old boy Christian Eriksen, who has sat out training this week with the illness that kept him out of the Newcastle match.
United will also have to do without the services (or lack thereof, based on the tosh that this lot has served over the years!) of Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Brandon Williams and Axel Tuanzebe.
However, Scott McTominay and Martin Dubravka will return to their squad after being unable to partake in the Newcastle match, which McTominay sat out through suspension, and Dubravka due to the terms of his loan deal from Newcastle.
For Spurs, Emerson Royal serves the final match of his 3-game ban. Moreover, Richarlison will definitely be out with the calf injury he picked up against Everton, although the injury is not as bad as first feared. The match is also likely to come too soon for Dejan Kulusevski, who is continuing his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.
The absence of the attacking duo has culminated in rife speculation that we will see the 3-5-2 that finished the Everton match on Saturday from the outset, but Antonio Conte was keen to refute those noises…perhaps to keep United guessing:
“Tomorrow, Lucas Moura can be a possibility,” Conte said, quoted by the Evening Standard. “Gil can be a possibility, Perisic like a striker is a possibility. I have another day of training sessions to make the best decision.
“You know we like to play with a 3-4-3, with three strikers, and if we can’t change then I prefer to continue to play with a 3-4-3. Otherwise I will find another solution but I think we have the possibility to play with a 3-4-3.”
The match will be viewable via the Amazon Prime streaming service for those unable to get to Old Trafford.
We often struggle at OT. Rarely get run of the ball, bad decisions, fergie time, poor refereeing etc.
So time to turn on the style and put pressure on.
Give Djed Spence more than 90 seconds.
Our miserable history at old trafford? Screw it. It’s another day and they are trailing behind us in the table and Fergie hasn’t been on the touchline intimidating officials with his Aberdeen accent for years.
And yes, more than 90 seconds for Djed Spence. Conte will give him at least 120 seconds this match.
I’d really like to see more of the two man front and three man midfield. When I was a lad I was taught that the midfield is the most important place on the pitch and you want to make sure that if you’re dominant anywhere, that’s the where, and if there’s a where that you don’t want to be dominated, that’s the where.
But Spence–we’ve got four matches comeing up spaced very close to one another. Use substitutions or watch the men get knackererd. Now is the time for players like Spence to get some time on the pitch, not just looking on from the reserve seats.
But I’ll place a wager that Gil will get on more than Spence will.
If Conte sticks to his favored formation, Moura should see some time. If he doesn’t play now with Richarlison and Deki Kooloo knackered, he might as well get a ticket home.
Really nice to hear that Richarlison should be able to play in the WC. We have yet to see the best of his game with Spurs.
I don’t know what I’ll do yesterday and I don’t know what I did tomorrow, but I do know what I’m going to do today …. watch Spurs win 3 – 0 at Old Trafford.
Geof,
you’ve gone all ontologically bidirectional recently. You seem to have opted for Bohr over Einstein. Twenty first century physics has abandonned the old notion that time is unidirectional and space is three dimensional. The swerve is not only in space but in time, which suits this young geezer just fine.
I see no reason Spurs cannot go into Old Trafford today and go home with three points earned. Some unexpected source for at least one of our goals. Gil will grab the ball from Kane and slot home a penalty shot. Spencer will take the captain’s arm band and replace Lloris in the goal for the last 7 minutes of a prolonged added time.
Final was 1 x 4. Or if Geof will be right and it was Spurs by 0 x 3, but the gravitation pull of a black hole turned it to 3 x 0 and turned Old Trafford into home field for the Spurs. Google replaced the signage at the half and paid Joe and Daniel, for the naming rights since ENIC now owns the stadium there. Manure wore sky blue kits and wore NFL helmets.
The Old Knobhead turned into a breakfast cereal.
TK …. I expect you remember the famous quote from Plato as he sat on the dusty steps of a newly built Athens place of worship at 1pm on a sunny July day, surrounded by several aged cronies and a multitude of goats, discussing the meaning of ontological bidirection. He looked at his sun-dial, stood up, and beneath the weighty gaze of expectation announced in a clear, strong voice …. It’s lunch time!
Son 2, Kane 1, Lloris will have to wait a while longer.
So we are off to OT this evening, another win for me under our belt…1-3 Spurs.
Conte is playing mind games, bet we see a different formation tonight, rather than his preferred 3-4-3. COYS
United are really their for the taken. Same as last season but we buckled with a ronnie hat trick.
How’s about this Conte has never won at OT, time for a change! Tonight! Spurs win! COYS
I don’t see CR7 scoring a hat trick this time. Without that, Spurs should win. Spurs were the better team on the last visit to Old Trafford except for that trick of the cap. I expect Spurs to maintain the position in the top three after this match.
Here’s hoping the Djed Spence is up to Conte’s standards in training and will replace Emerson Royal soon on the wingback position, although Emerson seems to me to be improving slowly and may turn out decent enough in the end. The left side of the 343 formation seems more solid, but wingback on the right-hand side seems the weakness of the formation so far. Emerson is doggedly dug in, though, and he deserves credit for that.
With Deki (presumably) and Richarlison out, Moura has a shot at climbing back, but I’ve never had great enthusiasm for his play. I’d as soon see the wisp of the wind Gil playing. He’s impressed me at times playing for Spain, but, dear god, he seems to go to ground with a stiff breeze on the pitch. bulk up, lad, but don’t lose the shifty moves while doing so.
This could be a wild one: 11 x 13.
…
Not goals, but shots, with Spurs getteing 5 of those shots 13 shots on goal to only 3 on goal for Manure.
Hojbjerg to be MofM.
It’s hard to see how Conte wouldn’t use the three man midfield alignment when both Richy and Kulu are both unavailable. Having Bissouma in there really suits Sonny as his defensive and pivoting responsibilities are lessened and he becomes more free to roam into open spaces. The 3-5-2 also provides more freedom to Hoi and Bentancur to move up the pitch into more creative attacking positions. It would be fantastic to beat MU at Old Trafford and solidify our hold at the top portion of the table.
MUFC 2-4 THFC!
352 with Bissouma.
To my eyes this works better than Conte’s favoured three attackers formation.
I feel good going into this match.
Sitting back why to much, making united look very good, giving them too much space.
Feels like we are playing wiyh 9 men. This formation ain’t working, look at the shots and attempts against average united team.
Can we stop playing out from the back before they score, get the effin ball up to the other end of the pitch.
Doherty looking just like Charlie Chaplin. Playing a bit like him too. Can’t kick or cross a ball for toffee.
WW none of the players played well. Conte and players need to wake up. And guess what we gift them a goal,
Bottled it, biggest spursy displays I have seen. Making them look like super stars
Time for our super subs, oh wait……