We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to select the team they reckon Igor Tudor should select in the north London derby
Souza will be hoping to make his first start for Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday’s north London derby
Tottenham’s new interim head coach Igor Tudor will take on his first north London derby on Sunday to kick off his tenure at the club.
The Croatian put pen to paper last weekend on a short-term deal until the end of the season to take over from Thomas Frank after the Dane was sacked with Spurs 16th in the table and just five points above the Premier League drop zone. Now Tudor finds himself thrown into the biggest of first games with Arsenal making the short trip across the capital looking to kickstart their stuttering title hopes.
Tudor will inherit the injury problems that dogged Frank this season, and his predecessor Ange Postecoglou before him, and the 47-year-old must pick a competitive team out of those currently available for the big derby clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
We asked our Spurs correspondents Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to select the starting line-up they reckon the new head coach should select in the north London derby.
Alasdair Gold – Tottenham correspondent
The main choices for Tudor will come with the formation and who plays in the midfield and further up the pitch. If he goes for a back three and his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation then Archie Gray and Djed Spence are likely to be the wing-backs although there could be a case for a first Spurs start for Souza to ensure balance to the team.
Pedro Porro is also expected to be closing in on a return after his first real injury in his time at the club but it could be too early for the Spaniard to start.
If it’s a back three then Joao Palhinha could step in alongside Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin, while Tudor’s arrival brings a fresh start for Yves Bissouma, which could see the Mali international get a chance in the centre of the pitch. Up top, Randal Kolo Muani knows the Croatian well and impressed for him at Juventus so Tudor will need to decide whether to start the Frenchman or have him in reserve to ensure some firepower from the bench as the game wears on.
I’m going for a 3-4-2-1 as it’s Tudor’s favoured formation and it got the best out of Spurs and Xavi Simons for a while before it faltered against Manchester City and was then ditched by Frank.
Gold’s XI: Vicario; Palhinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Gray, Bissouma, Sarr, Spence; Gallagher, Xavi; Solanke.
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Ryan Taylor – Sports reporter
Options are seemingly limited for poor Tudor. But that’s not to say he can’t get a result in his first ever outing as Tottenham interim boss.
The Croat usually favours a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 system but I think his hands might be slightly tied on this occasion and he’ll seek to unleash both Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, who had joy under his tutelage last season at Juventus, in a two-man strike force.
Defensively, Spurs are light on the ground but Joao Palhinha is more than capable of slotting into the back-three. I also think there’s a firm chance Yves Bissouma could start as his combative style might suit this game.
Pape Matar Sarr’s energy might do also but Conor Gallagher and Archie Gray seem a suitable pair with Xavi Simons providing support behind the forwards.
A first start for Souza could make sense, even though it’s a tough game to throw him into as I feel Spurs need balance on the left and Souza is of course left-footed.
Taylor’s XI: Vicario; Palhinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Spence, Gallagher, Gray, Souza; Xavi; Solanke, Kolo Muani.
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