Tottenham Hotspur have no time to dwell on their recent results as they face a trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
It was another night to forget at Stamford Bridge on Thursday as Mauricio Pochettino’s injury-stricken Chelsea completed the double over Tottenham.
Perhaps the only positive to come out of the game is that there were no further injury issues for Ange Postecoglou to report on.
However, the past few weeks really have been desperate for Tottenham both on and off the pitch.
The performances have been nothing short of atrocious and they have now sustained injuries to Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies leaving the left-back spot to be filled.
Emerson Royal was brought in on the left of the defence for the game at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night and it is fair to say the fans were not impressed with what they saw.
The Australian’s anger got the better of him at the Bridge on Thursday night with the 58-year-old seen barking orders at some of his players.
And it is apparent this Spurs side is not exactly picking itself at the moment with a number of players failing to play to their full potential.
Even the likes of Heung-min Son are looking somewhat lost currently with the South Korean offering next to nothing against an inexperienced Chelsea right back in Alfie Gilchrist.
But with Timo Werner missing the remaining games of the season through a hamstring injury, the Spurs captain may just have to ride out his poor run of form.
Ange Postecoglou to provide rare opportunity for £70k-per-week outcast
Thursday’s trip across London saw postecoglou act on James Maddison‘s dismal run of form since returning from his injury.
In his place, Dejan Kulusevski moved into the middle from his more accustomed wide role on the right of the front three.
But it was not really a change which provided much success with Maddison coming on in the second half anyway.
Here is a rundown of Kulusevski’s performance on Thursday.
- 90 minutes played
- 51 touches
- 79% pass success rate
- 1/10 ground duels won
- 15X lost possession
- 4 fouls
- 0 dribbles attempted
Statistics via SofaScore.
In comparison, Giovani Lo Celso came on with just four minutes of the game remaining and created more chances than any other Spurs player did all game.
That alone should warrant the £70k-per-week midfielder a spot in the starting XI of a Spurs side which is seriously struggling in attack.
However, it is whether Postecoglou is willing to offer opportunities to a player who could potentially be leaving in the summer which is the main issue.
Rodrigo Bentancur to be rushed back into the middle
It could well be a case of take your pick which midfielder drops out of the side for Sunday with both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr dropping dreadful displays on Thursday.
And that has been the case for a while now with a real drop-off in the level of performances being put in by this Spurs midfield.
The Spurs News understand Tottenham are looking at a number of options to potentially bolster their midfield this summer.
But for now, Rodrigo Bentancur could be expected to return to the XI at Anfield as he continues to recover from two serious long-term injuries.
Dejan Kulusevski may not have done enough vs Chelsea
Having played the majority of the game centrally – which he says is he preferred position – Kulusevski’s spot may also be up for debate.
The Swede simply has not been anywhere good enough this season and that has left the door open for Brennan Johnson.
It’s been claimed Virgil van Dijk may not be available on Sunday for the Reds which will provide Tottenham a big opportunity to get at the Liverpool defence.
Perhaps the Welshman’s pace is needed to do just that as he also looks to find the form he showed just a few weeks ago.
Predicted Tottenham XI v Liverpool (4-3-3): Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Emerson Royal, Bissouma, Bentancur, Lo Celso, Johnson, Richarlison, Son**