Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester City at the Etihad looking to extend their winning run.
Martin Keown has told the Daily Mail that Mauricio Pochettino’s team selection for Tottenham’s clash with Manchester City this weekend could be extremely telling.
Spurs go into the contest having won their last seven games in all competitions. That form has partially been down to Pochettino’s men switching to a system that involves a back three with wing-backs rather than a flat back four.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
However, the Tottenham boss may need to reconsider whether to stick with that formation at the Etihad Stadium as he will be without Jan Vertonghen, who picked up an injury in the emphatic 4-0 win over West Brom last weekend.
And Keown explained that with the Belgian sidelined, the game against City could provide a major indication of whether the back three is here to stay, before suggesting what system he expects Pochettino to use.
“We are going to see if Pochettino is playing three at the back because it suits his best XI or because he genuinely believes it will take him forward to win the Premier League,” he told the Mail.
Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen is carried off after sustaining an injury
“I think he will stick with the system and he is right to do that. It is important that they keep working with this shape as it suits them with their full backs.”
With Tottenham enjoying such a brilliant run, it would hardly be a surprise if, as Keown suggests, Pochettino decides to deploy the same system that has proved so effective in recent weeks.
Spurs have become Chelsea’s nearest challengers in the Premier League title race after their recent run, and there is no reason to suggest that they cannot continue to close the gap over the coming months by sticking with what has made them such a threat recently.
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