Is Kyle Walker-Peters set for his Champions League debut at Tottenham Hotspur?
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has a big dilemma ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Pochettino confirmed that defender Ben Davies is unlikely to be available after missing Saturday’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth at Wembley.
It leaves the Argentine with a quandry over his formation and who could choose to fill in for the Welsh left-back at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.
Jan Vertonghen impressed in a left-back role as Spurs reverted to a 4-2-3-1 system against the Cherries but, despite getting the win, it was a flat, uninspired performance and another one of those in Spain could see them on the end of a hiding from Real.
Pochettino might well be tempted to go back to a 3-4-2-1 system because the alternative means playing Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld in a centre-back pairing for the second time – and away to the European champions isn’t an ideal time to continue that experiment.
If he does return to using wing-backs, however, then does Kyle Walker-Peters have a chance of a Champions League debut?
Son Heung-Min slotted in there against Swansea last month to little effect, and his insipid display against Bournemouth will have done little to impress his manager, despite claiming the assist for Christian Eriksen’s goal.
Walker-Peters has only two Premier League games under his belt, but he’s looked brilliant on the left-hand side when he has played there and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Pochettino starts him against los Blancos.
He offers the balance from that role that Vertonghen and Son do not. With Dani Carvajal injured, Vertonghen doesn’t have the attacking qualities to test Real’s impressive 18-year-old right-back Achraf Hakimi, while Son doesn’t have the defensive qualities to stop the majestic Isco.
Walker-Peters, 20, isn’t ideal given his lack of experience, but he might well be the best of a bunch of undesirable options for Pochettino due to Danny Rose and Davies’s injury.
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