Key events
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Young Tyler Dibling is getting heaps of praise in the build up. The 18-year-old is apparently on Manchester United’s radar with a rumoured £21 million offer on the table.
Russell Martin says he has worked on “lots of things” this week. That’s encouraging.
Ange Postecoglou says he needs “another performance of ours that reflects the kind of football we want to play”.
Southampton’s boss looks the more chipper of the two.
Ivan Victor has written in and taken issue with some of my phrasing:
“Maybe this is pedantic (I don’t think it is), with 8 or 9 players out injured and a bench with five academy players it’s hard to be able to select your preferred starting XI.”
Nope, I don’t think that’s pedantic Ivan. I think that’s totally fair. You’re right, it’s not been ideal for Big Ange.
History is not on Southampton’s side.
They have won just one of their past eight matches against Tottenham in all competitions with three draws and four defeats.
But we should expect goals. The three most recent meetings between these two have produced 16 goals in total.
Perhaps the best stat is that Southampton have scored in each of their last 15 league games against Spurs. Fifteen!
My colleague Luke McLaughlin wrote this week that Spurs’ style seems unsuitable.
He took the 3-4 reverse at home to Chelsea as a case in point and asked, “is it sustainable to play with all guns blazing, all season, as if the bell is about to ring for the end of lunch break?”
It’s not the first time this has been asked of a Postecoglou team. I do wonder, though, if Tottenham’s fans would accept anything other than swashbuckling go-forward footy?
Big Ange isn’t holding back. After calling out Timo Werner, stating that the german’s performance against Rangers this week was “not acceptable”, the Tottenham boss has claimed that he has no time for “bruised egos”.
It’s a heavy approach but perhaps that is what’s needed. A bit of a kick up the rear to jumpstart a spluttering season.
We’ll find out if it’s worked.
Tottenham team
Big Ange is still searching for his preferred starting XI.
Dejan Kulusekvski, Lucas Bergvall, Djed Spence, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke all start. Timo Werner, after getting chewed out by his boss midweek, is on the bench alongside a bunch of youngsters.
Tottenham 4-2-3-1: Forster, Gray, Dragusin, Spence, Udogie, Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison, Son, Kulusevski, Solanke.
Subs: Austin, Porro, Lankshear, Dorrington, Olusesi, King, Hardy, Werner, Johnson.
Southampton team
Four changes for the Saints from the team that lost to Villa last week.
Alex McCarthy returns in goal with Jan Bednarek in front of him. Joe Aribo and Kamaldeen Sulemana are also given an opportunity to show their stuff from the start.
Southampton 4-5-1: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Manning, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Sulemana, Downes, Aribo, Fernandes, Armstrong, Dibling.
Subs: Lumley, Bree, Wood, Sugawara, Amo-Ameyaw, Fraser, Lallana, Onuachu, Archer.
Preamble
Admittedly this is usually the case with football, but both these teams could really do with a win this evening.
Southampton are rooted to the foot of the table and haven’t won in over a month. Tottenham, down in 12th, have been doing that thing they do where they beat (or at least compete with) good sides but then stink the place up against everyone else.
The wolves are howling outside the doors of both managers and only a positive result on the south coast will keep them at bay a little longer.
Does this mean we’ll get a classic encounter where players fly into tackles and every blade of grass is fought over? That’s certainly the hope.
Kick-off at 7pm.
Teams and further updates to follow.
