Next stop on the roller coaster that is 2021-22 Tottenham Hotspur F.C? Middlesbrough and the fifth round of the FA Cup. It’s been a wild couple of weeks for the North Londoners. Heck, it’s been a wild season. They opened their 2021/22 campaign by knocking off reigning champions Manchester City in the league under a new head coach in Nuno Espirito Santo.
Then things fell off of a cliff. Badly. A 3-0 loss to Manchester United saw the Portuguese manager relieved of his duties.
Enter Antonio Conte. The Italian serial winner who had rejected the club’s advances in the off-season. He had an immediate impact. He helped Harry Kane remember where the goals are, changed the club’s shape, and racked up the W’s. Under the watchful eye of the Italian, Spurs didn’t lose a league match for the rest of the calendar year.
The start of 2022 saw Spurs lose three times in three weeks to Chelsea. Conte’s former side. From there, the wheels fell off until they morphed into the Tottenham we have currently.
A side that can beat Manchester City when it seems that no one else can and then just three days later lose to a Burnley side rooted to the bottom of the table. Their form is positively bipolar.
Middlesbrough vs Tottenham FYIs
When is it? Tuesday, 1 March 2022 7.55 PM.
Where is it? Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough.
Who’s in form? Middlesbrough (DWLWL) Tottenham (LLWLW)
What are the odds? Middlesbrough (+400) Tottenham (-145) Draw (+290)
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Now you’ve got the brief history of Tottenham’s season to date, here’s how I think they will lineup against Middlesbrough.
Hugo Lloris kept a clean sheet against Leeds. He needed it. The Frenchman will line up between the posts for Spurs.
The back three might see a bit of rotation. With that in mind, I have Davinson Sanchez coming in to give Cristian Romero a rest. He’ll play to the right of Eric Dier. Ben Davies will start to the Englishman’s left.
Ryan Sessegnon is due for a rest. That will probably see Sergio Reguilon come in at left wing-back. At right wing-back, I think Emerson Royal will have time to redeem himself with a start.
In the center of midfield, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks will start. The Dane and the Englishman have been unspectacular, but serviceable as a midfield duo.
The front three will look the same as it has for the last couple of fixtures, with Harry Kane playing through the middle, Son Heung-min playing on the left, and Swede Dejan Kulusevski playing on the right.
As far as a prediction goes, I do not know. It could literally be anything when Spurs is involved.
They won comfortably against Leeds last time out, so with that in mind, I am going to pick an upset. Victory to Middlesbrough 2-1.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.