Tottenham Hotspur face a stern challenge against Southampton on Wednesday, with Antonio Conte’s men keen on entering the top four.
Following a welcome 3-1 triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup, Tottenham Hotspur are set to resume their Premier League campaign on Wednesday, when they play hosts to Southampton.
It has been a promising start for the Londoners under the leadership of Antonio Conte. The Italian has instilled a hard-working mentality among the Spurs camp, with Harry Kane recently hailing his influence in the dressing room. The results speak for themselves, with the recent defeat to Chelsea being Conte’s only loss in the Premier League since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in November.
Despite the positive results in the league, Tottenham remain seventh in the league table, with 36 points on the board. They are currently trailing fourth-placed Manchester United by two points, but do have at least one game in hand over their competitors in West Ham, Arsenal and Man United. It essentially means that a win on Wednesday could help Conte’s men close in on the top four.
However, things won’t be made easier by a Southampton side going into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory over Coventry City in the FA Cup. Currently in a mid-table position, the Saints have failed to win any of their last two league matches. But they did manage to hold Tottenham to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in late December.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men will be aiming for a similar result this time around, seeking a valuable point prior to their trip to Old Trafford on the weekend. Here at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over these two sides ahead of their crucial Premier League encounter this midweek.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur have been recently boosted by the return of both Son Heung-Min and Cristian Romero, but coach Antonio Conte may have to make do with the absence of Eric Dier, Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga.
Antonio Conte says Eric Dier, Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are still injured against Southampton. Conte on Dier: "The doctor said not to use him and that's a pity because you know he's an important player." #THFC
— Jonathan Veal (@jonathandveal83) February 8, 2022
The absence of Tanganga and Dier could be a major blow for Conte, given he will have to be wary of risking Romero, who has just returned from a long injury layoff. Although we do expect Tottenham to continue with an unchanged backline from the team that faced Brighton in the FA Cup, Romero is likely to make way for someone like Joe Rodon in the second half.
There should be no changes in the wing-back department, as Emerson Royal and Sergio Reguilon look to continue providing the thrust going forward. The two players are also expected to offer width that could go a long way in helping Tottenham attackers gain more freedom in the central areas of the pitch. At the same time, they have to be wary of Southampton’s offensive threat, especially on the counter.
In midfield, Skipp remains unavailable, which may give Conte an ideal opportunity to hand new signing Rodrigo Bentancur his first start in the Premier League. The Uruguayan international is expected to form the double-pivot alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, thus solidifying Tottenham’s second line of press.
As for the attack, Son and Lucas Moura remain favourites to occupy the two advanced slots, just in behind the main striker Harry Kane. However, Conte has no shortage of alternatives, including new signing Dejan Kulusevski, who made his club debut by appearing as a substitute in the recent win over Brighton.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lloris; Sanchez, Romero, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Reguilon; Lucas, Son; Kane
Southampton
Southampton are sweating over the fitness of key forward Armando Broja, who did not train with the team earlier this week. He remains a doubt for this game, whereas Alex McCarthy, Lyanco and Nathan Tella have all been ruled out against Tottenham.
? @Lyanco
? @NathanTella_11
? @armandobroja9An important team news update from the boss ahead of #SaintsFC's trip to #THFC:
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 8, 2022
With Broja unlikely to be fully fit, the onus will be on the attacking duo of Che Adams and Nathan Redmond to provide the productivity in the final third. They are expected to hurry and hassle the Spurs defenders in an attempt to create turnovers in dangerous areas of the pitch.
Elsewhere, Southampton will bank on the creative prowess of the wide midfielders in Stuart Armstrong and Mohamed Elyounoussi. In Theo Walcott and Adam Armstrong, the visitors have no shortage of alternatives.
In midfield, Hasenhuttl could go for a more defensive approach by bringing in the combative Oriol Romeu. The Spaniard’s duel with former teammate Hojbjerg will be an exciting watch, whereas Romeu’s midfield partner James Ward-Prowse is set to play a vital role in offering the creative essence in the middle of the park. His set-pieces deliveries could be a major source of chance-creation for the visitors.
With Hasenhuttl set to revert to a back four, changes could be in order in defence. Kyle Walker-Peters and Romain Perraud remain favourites to occupy the traditional full-back roles, as they look to aid the central defensive duo of Jan Bednarek and Mohamed Salisu, while Fraser Forster is expected to start in goal, ahead of Willy Caballero.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Forster; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; S. Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Elyounoussi; Adams, Redmond
Key Stats
- Tottenham Hotspur have won their last five home Premier League matches against Southampton since a 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane back in May 2016.
- Southampton have lost 13 of their last 19 Premier League matches against Spurs, although they did draw 1-1 earlier this season. They haven’t avoided defeat in both games against them in a season since 2003/04.
- Spurs have won seven of their ten home Premier League matches this season; this is only the second time they have achieved this feat in the last ten seasons.
- Since the start of 2021, Southampton have conceded 57 away Premier League goals, 18 more than any other team. Under Ralph Hasenhuttl, the Saints have shipped three or more goals in 19 of their 60 away games (32%), with only Dave Jones (35%) seeing his teams concede 3+ goals in a higher percentage of away games in Premier League history (minimum 50 away matches).
- This is Tottenham’s first home Premier League game since Boxing Day when they secured a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. With this being their first home game in 2022, it is the farthest into a year they’ve played their first home league game since 1955, when they lost 2-1 to Manchester United in March.
Player to Watch
Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur is the player worth keeping an eye on in this crucial Premier League encounter between Tottenham and Southampton. The former Juventus man was one of Antonio Conte’s deadline day signings alongside teammate Dejan Kulusevski.
What makes Bentancur such an important asset for Tottenham is the club’s lack of variety in the middle of the park. Conte sanctioned the exit of multiple midfield players in January, including Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso. Even Oliver Skipp is not available, making the Uruguayan international even more crucial to the Spurs setup.
From a tactical perspective, Bentancur is expected to form the double-pivot alongside Hojbjerg. The 24-year-old is likely to be given a bit more freedom going forward, and his driving runs into the final third could potentially cause danger for Hasenhuttl’s men this midweek.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Southampton
Southampton had managed to squeeze a point against Tottenham the last time these two faced each other. However, with the added home advantage, coupled with the return of players like Son and Romero, the Saints might have a difficult time replicating the result.
The likely absence of Broja doesn’t help the cause for Hasenhuttl’s men either, as they look to defend deep and frustrate the opposition. The key will be to take advantage of the set-pieces situations and utilise the proficiency of Ward-Prowse. However, given the state of their defence, we are expecting the Tottenham attack to run rings around the Southampton backline and come away with a convincing victory.
