Tottenham begin a new era under the guidance of manager Nuno Espirito Santo when they host Manchester City in the Premier League. After a good pre-season bolstered by some impressive signings, what kind of team can we expect to see selected by the Portuguese debutant?
Spurs had a great end to their pre-season as they beat Arsenal. They will be buoyed by that performance and will approach the game against City with the belief that they can win. Last season, these two teams met in the Carabao Cup final, which the north Londoners lost, and they will now be out to make amends.
Tottenham vs Manchester City FYIs
Kick-off: 4.30 PM GMT, 15 August Sunday
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Despite playing with a 5-2-3 during his time at Wolves, Nuno has been using the 4-2-3-1 formation for Spurs. Hugo Lloris lines up in goal as the captain of the team. It may be too soon for new signing Cristian Romero which will force a reshuffle in the defence.
Japhet Tanganga and Reguilon will start as the full-backs. In the centre, it would be the duo of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez.
As for the central midfield, Spurs will have the dependable presence of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The Dane has become one of the team’s most important players and he will be tasked with controlling the tempo of the game.
Partnering him will be Englishman Harry Winks.
Ahead of them, we will not get to see Bryan Gil as he has just returned from international duty in the Olympics. Steven Bergwijn will start on the right flank with Lucas taking up the left-wing.
At the centre of this trio will be Dele Alli who will want to make a strong impression on the new boss. Leading the line is going to be Spurs’ main goal threat, Heung-min Son.
The Korean was in electric form last season and will want to pick up from where he left off. If he gets into good positions, Tottenham will stand a chance of winning.
This will be a real test of Nuno’s abilities.
Predicted Tottenham Starting XI vs Manchester City (4-2-3-1):
Hugo Lloris, Japhet Tanganga, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Steven Bergwijn, Dele Alli, Lucas, Heung-min Son