Tottenham manager Antonio Conte could start fringe players like Japhet Tanganga, Bryan Gil, Djed Spence and Lucas Moura against Sporting Lisbon as he looks to stem his side’s alarming decline in form. Spurs were enjoying their best start to the Premier League season but lost their last two games against Manchester United and Newcastle and the Italian will be looking for a quick upgrade in Wednesday’s Champions League game.
Spurs had enjoyed a great start to the campaign with their 2-0 win over Everton earlier this month, marking their best Premier League start to the season after ten games. However, back-to-back losses to the Red Devils and Magpies have caused him to lose momentum, and fans are beginning to question Conte’s style.
Today’s game against Sporting is of great importance in Spurs’ Champions League campaign. The club will secure qualification for the round of 16 if they manage to clinch victory and avenge their 2-0 loss in last month’s reverse encounter.
Given the importance of the match, Conte may make more dramatic changes as he looks to fix his team’s current decline. As a result, fringe stars like Moura, Gil, Tanganga and Spence could find themselves getting the match action they’ve been missing so far this year.
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Moura and Gil are potentially the two players most likely to be involved during today’s match given injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, with a place alongside Harry Kane and Heung-min Son up for grabs.
Conte has tried to bolster his midfield in the absence of the two attacking stars, but it has not worked, with Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emilie Hojbjerg offering little in the attacking areas. As a result, a return to the forward three appears to be a good bet as the Italian looks to improve the balance of his team.
Defensive problems are also frequent as the team leak easy goals against the Red Devils and Newcastle. Eric Dier has suffered a massive drop in form from him over the last week, while Clement Lenglet and Ben Davies have also come under heavy fire. Cristian Romero has also been struggling with a snag, opening the door for Tanganga to have a potential chance to impress inside the bottom three.
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The right back has become a problem in recent weeks with neither Matt Doherty nor Emerson Royal impressing in the role. There have been loud calls from fans for Spence to be given a chance. The England Under-21 international has yet to start since his arrival from Middlesbrough in the summer, but the Sporting game may finally be the time for Conte to give the player a chance given the team’s current struggles.
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