Tottenham Hotspur’s top four hopes could be up in smoke – and it may be time for Antonio Conte to take Davinson Sanchez out of the firing line.
It’s been a dismal seven days or so for Tottenham, losing two home games to leave Conte’s top four hopes in real danger.
First, was a 3-2 home defeat to Southampton.
Leading 2-1 in the second half, slack defending meant Tottenham fell to a shock 3-2 loss with Sanchez struggling.
At the weekend it was a 2-0 home loss to Wolves, with kamikaze defending once again the downfall for Tottenham.
Unless Tottenham can sort out this defensive mess, they will have no chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Conte’s wing backs are a real problem, but that right side of the Tottenham side looks to be the biggest issue.
Sanchez and Emerson Royal looked all over the place against Southampton, and Sanchez wasn’t much better against Wolves either.
Alasdair Gold of Football London reported last week that Conte absolutely loves Sanchez, ruling out a move away with Conte believing he has improved massively.
Conte still looks error-prone though, and whilst the Italian may believe in Sanchez, this may be the time to take him out of the firing line.
Cristian Romero is a quality defender and Ben Davies is the only real option on the left side, but Sanchez has struggled in the last two games on the right side.
Eric Dier could return against Manchester City on Saturday whilst Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon offer other options too.
Dier was playing fairly well before injury, and Romero can easily slide over to the right side to make room for Dier in the middle.
£42million man Sanchez has just been so poor in the last two games that it may simply be better to just take him out before his confidence takes any more hits.
Coping with City isn’t easy at the best of times, but Tottenham can’t afford to risk starting a shaky defender as they look to get back on track.
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