Tottenham Hotspur have two experienced right-backs competing for a starting spot right now.
As soon as Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino opted to start Serge Aurier against Brighton and Hove Albion last week, it was clear the Ivorian would not kick off a few days later against Manchester City.
The Spurs boss’s rotation policy is clear, with Kieran Trippier currently adjudged to be the better option in the biggest games, while £23million summer signing Aurier has had to make do with just seven league appearances to date.
Against City, Trippier was embarrassed time and again, leading some Tottenham fans to claim their side would have been much better off with Aurier in for the England international. But would the former Paris Saint-Germain player have fared better or worse against a City side that looks a class apart?
The grass is always greener and the truth is we will never know what might have happened no Saturday if Aurier had started in place of his fellow right-back. But it is hard to imagine him doing any worse.
Trippier should be starting against sides that sit back, with his Tottenham teammate tasked with playing against teams that push forward at pace.
There will be some Spurs fans who would claim Tottenham could have been trounced if Aurier had started ahead of the more careful Trippier yet one wonders if the hosts may have forced their opponents back with a little more bravery of their own.
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