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Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur is fast approaching, and all eyes will be on his team selection as Spurs head into a high-stakes clash at Sunderland. We have now put together our ideal Tottenham starting XI for the clash against the Black Cats.
Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as Tottenham Hotspur boss is not too far away now, as Spurs prepare to take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
It is a big encounter for Tottenham, who will be desperate to secure a victory, especially when a loss could see them drop into the relegation places if West Ham United beats Wolves on Friday.
A victory, though, could see Spurs go as high as 15th if results elsewhere go their way. De Zerbi will be well aware of the stakes coming into that fixture, and he will be keen to get his team selection right.
We have now put together the XI we want to see on Sunday when Spurs face Sunderland in the Premier League.
Tottenham XI vs Sunderland as Roberto De Zerbi prepares debut
We already know that in goal, Antonin Kinsky is perhaps pretty much nailed on for Sunday, as Guglielmo Vicario continues to recover from his hernia surgery.
Vicario has been playing through pain for months now before going under the knife after Spurs’ 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest.
Kinsky, who is great with the ball at his feet, could well elevate Tottenham’s in-possession setup as they look to adapt to life under De Zerbi.
In front of the Czech international, we expect that there will be a shift from the back three we have seen several times this season under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
De Zerbi is more likely to go with a four at the back, and the centre-backs we would rather see are Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
The Spurs captain was impressive when on international duty with Argentina, and many Tottenham fans will be hoping he brings such form back to north London.
At full-back, we have both Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro as our preferred picks. Udogie offers a better balance in attack, given that he is left-footed.
He is also capable of inverting, should De Zerbi choose to set up that way. On the other side, Porro can also be deployed similarly, offering Spurs some tactical flexibility against the Black Cats.
Spurs midfield and attack selection to shape De Zerbi debut
In the middle of the park, we would love to see some energy, and we believe that Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall can bring exactly that.
De Zerbi is reported to be keen on bringing Manuel Locatelli to north London, but we do think that, in the meantime, Gray can bring a similar quality to the midfield.
This season, the youngster has only gone from strength to strength and has added much variety to his play in the middle of the park.
He is capable of starting off attacks, spraying long balls, pushing forward, while also dropping in between the two centre-backs.
Bergvall can serve as a box crasher, although De Zerbi might look for more solidity in the middle, and Palhinha could well be fielded.
In front of the pivot, it would be nice to see Xavi Simons dictate play and offer some creativity. Jamie O’Hara has already called for De Zerbi to look to get the most out of Simons, and many fans will get behind that.
If the Dutchman can find some rhythm in this side, then he offers a solution to breaking down stubborn defences for Tottenham.
Out wide, Mathys Tel has looked really bright on the left for Tottenham. His directness and his ability to take players on will surely give Spurs a different dimension in attack.
We already know De Zerbi encourages such creativity from wide areas, as we saw with Mitoma when he was at Brighton. If Tel can add an end product to his game, he will be a top player for the Italian.
On the right side should be Mohammed Kudus. However, it remains to be seen if Kudus is fit enough, since he was not spotted in training.
Tudor, though, revealed a few weeks back that Kudus will return after the break, and if that is the case, then we want to see him line up on the right against Sunderland.
Richarlison might not be the most technical of the players in the Tottenham front line, but what you get with the Brazilian is much-needed fight.
He has been in a relegation scrap in the past at his former clubs and is one of the few who understand what is needed in this battle.
De Zerbi has already hinted that all his principles might not be passed across now, and that could well work for Richarlison, who should bag more goals in a fluid attacking system.
In all, we would love a line-up like this: Kinsky; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Bergvall; Kudus, Simons, Tel; Richarlison
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