Dembele has been in and out of the Tottenham starting line-up recently.
Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to continue Tottenham’s excellent run of form with a win against former side Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium to increase Spurs’ run to six wins in seven games.
Although Spurs are the favourites to beat Mauricio Pellegrino’s out-of-form Saints, they will still need to be at the top of their game with Southampton boasting talent such as Dusan Tadic, Charlie Austin and Ryan Bertrand.
But it is in the middle of the park where the game will be won or lost. Last time out, Southampton fielded four central midfielders in a side that earned a 2-2 draw away at Watford.
Pellegrino’s 4-2-3-1 system saw Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg partner Oriel Romeu in holding midfield, while James Ward-Prowse was used out wide on the right flank and Steven Davis played in the number 10 role.
Although it could be deemed particularly negative by the Saints, it sees Pellegrino’s side boast a number of ball-playing midfielders in their side that are more than adept at keeping possession.
It makes Spurs’ need to keep the football under control even more vital, as they will not be afforded as much of a percentage of possession as they normally are against other Premier League sides.
That should convince Mauricio Pochettino to play a midfielder that can look after the ball under pressure, in order to maximise Spurs’ amount of possession. It should see him hand Mousa Dembele a start in the middle of the park.
The Belgium international has been in and out of the Spurs side of late, starting three of Spurs last seven matches and being in the line-up for just 10 Premier League matches this. He remains amid a vigorous rotation policy with Eric Dier, Harry Winks and Victor Wanyama.
Starting Dembele will see Spurs maximise the amount of the ball they see, while the former Fulham star’s intricate array of passing can set the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min off.
His power and strength in midfield will be key in keeping possession. Start Dembele, and Pochettino will earn a sixth win in seven at his old side.
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