Tottenham return to Premier League action on Sunday as they travel to Villa Park to take on surprisingly strong Aston Villa. Spurs had a shock result during the week as they crashed out of the UEFA Europa League.
Despite leading by two goals from the first leg, they still managed to lose, against a side whose manager is currently imprisoned. Afterward, manager Jose Mourinho, as he has done many times this season, called out the attitude/motivation of his own players.
If only he knew somebody that might be able to do something about improving his team's attitude https://t.co/rX4Rj3H3qn
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) March 18, 2021
Aston Villa will present another tough challenge, so Mourinho will have to think about some better motivational methods, and quickly. His team selection will probably be done according to whom he believes can give the best effort and show the most ambition.
Mourinho will stick with his usual 4-2-3-1 formation which will have Hugo Lloris in goal. There will be as many as three changes being made to the defence. Eric Dier, Serge Aurier and Ben Davies will all drop to the bench.
In their place, it will be Matt Doherty and Reguilon starting as the full backs. And Toby Alderweireld will come in to partner Davinson Sanchez in the centre of defence.
Spurs missed a trick by not starting Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg against Dinamo Zagreb and he will be back for this game. The other change in midfield will see Tanguy Ndombele come in place of Moussa Sissoko. This a duo that has worked well for Mourinho and he will be counting on them to provide a platform for the attackers.
Ahead of them, not having Heung-min Son is a major miss. So, it will be Gareth Bale and Steven Bergwijn on the wings. And Spurs will have Lucas Moura playing through the centre looking to link the attack together.
Though they couldn’t score in the last game, this trio will be crucial for the visitors to stand any chance of winning this game. Tottenham have to make a decision on whether to start Harry Kane or not. Given the amount of football the striker has played, he will be given a well-earned rest.
In his place, it will be Carlos Vinicius leading the line. Spurs will find it tough against Villa, but they are capable of getting the three points.
Predicted Tottenham Starting XI Against Aston Villa (4-2-3-1):
Hugo Lloris, Matt Doherty, Davinson Sanchez, Toby Alderweireld, Reguilon, Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn, Carlos Vinicius