Pretty spot on team this. Son has to play though. He is getting back into form and is undroppable. He can go through that purple patch and I reckon it starts against Everton tonight. A front three of kulu, kane and son with the shackles off has me foaming at the mouth. This is a new start tonight. We need to play positive front foot football and we win easily. Everton will be defensive but I am confident we can make the pitch wide. They with try to crowd the middle and double up on our wingers when they can. We need to play those intricate one twos down the wings. I reckon kulu and pdero porro will give them nightmares down that wing. We got this.
Son has to sit though.
He has been criminal waste of space and most season we have played with 10 men. Enough of this.
His main contribution this season has been losing possession. Which in turn has put our defense under more pressure. And we all know - our defense cannot cope with pressure, so that has meant more goals conceded.
As things stand, we do not have the players that would suit Son starting -
1) Our ONLY (mostly)fit LWB in Perisic (yknow, Sess and Davies and even Royal all out) does not work well with Son + Perisic main contribution are crosses. Son cannot do anything with crosses.
2) Son is efficient in running behind the opposition defense, but there is no facilitator; no one to thread him with those through-balls. Kane this season plays higher upfield and has been in good goalscoring form. It would be madness to alter his way of playing. Basically to gamble sacrificing sure-thing scorer for some faint hope.
3) On top of Kane... we have no other alternative. Conte has done his utmost to suck all kind of creativity out of the side and even players that could win the ball high upfield and then put him through (Bissouma and Bentancur) are sidelined. Our passing out of the backline has not been as good as needed either. So starting Son will mean he will be most likely used in a way that does not suit him. He will be player needing service... without that service. Unless we decide to sacrifice our biggest goal threat in Kane.
It just does not make any sense at all.
If you say that this is a "new start" then why not play in a new way. In such way where Spurs would be able to put together some passing patterns. To control the play and to control the ball.
Right now you are just suggesting more of Conte ball where:
- our main attacking idea is to hoof long balls from defense to attack
- wait for miracle of keeping it there
- accept the reality that ball was not kept upfield
- prepare for opposition attack
- scramble in defense and hope you can avoid conceding a goal
- rinse and repeat