LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides first goal with his team mates during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane on August 20, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
These five matchups will determine the Tottenham-Stoke winner
Tottenham and Stoke City face off Saturday in a match that both clubs would dearly love to win. Spurs are off to a slow start to their Premier League campaign with just five points from three matches. Stoke, on the other hand, are envious of their start since they currently occupy the Premier League cellar.
That recipe should lead to a spirited contest on Saturday. Adding to the intrigue, is the fact that both clubs will miss out on important stars due to injury. Tottenham will compete without left back Danny Rose and the Potters won’t be able to deploy the injured Xherdan Shaqiri. Both men are hugely influential for their sides and will be sorely missed.
Of course, both clubs also will welcome new arrivals from the January transfer window. Look for new-signing Moussa Sissoko to enter the Spurs starting XI while Stoke should debut Wilfried Bony at the top of their attack. Even with their big reputations, expectations for both men in their first match with their new clubs should be tempered.
Read on to discover the five tactical matchups that will determine a winner between Spurs and Stoke.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Michel Vorm of Tottenham Hotspur replaces Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on August 13, 2016 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)
5. Hugo Lloris vs. Wilfried Bony
I’ve already gone on record with my belief that Tottenham have no business starting Hugo Lloris in this match. They should give him the extra recovery time to make sure he’s fit for the Champions League fixture versus Monaco. Evidently, Pochettino disagrees.
Reports all over England claim that Lloris will return to the Tottenham starting XI at Stoke. That’s going to put the French keeper squarely at odds with former Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony.
The Ivory Coast international has to feel relieved to escape his time with City. He went from a star at Swansea to a complete and utter flop with the Citizens. He’ll be desperate to get off to a good start in front of his home supporters at Stoke.
Lloris, in contrast, will want to show his manager that he’s feeling no ill effects from his hamstring knock. A good performance against Stoke will make him a lock to start against Monaco. Lloris deserves Spurs’ Champions League football more than anyone. He’ll need to show well against Bony to make sure he gets it at his earliest opportunity.
MIDDLESBOROUGH, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Bojan Krkic Stoke City during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough and Stoke City on August 13, 2016 in Middlesbrough. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)
4. Bojan vs. Ben Davies
You have to imagine the Spanish attacker’s eyes lit up when he heard the news that Danny Rose wouldn’t be fit for the match. Ben Davies is a competent Premier League left back, but he just isn’t the athletic headache that Rose provides to opposing attackers.
Davies won’t need to contain Bojan all by himself, but he will find himself matched up against him more often than not. He just needs to use his cool head and positioning to keep the former Barcelona attacker under wraps.
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I actually believe the matchup may be more important for Stoke on the other end of the pitch. Bojan is going to need to track back to provide his back four quite a bit of support. He can’t afford to let Davies dwell on the ball out on the left-wing. If that happens, his crosses are going to find a Tottenham attacker in the box.
Bojan and Davies should be a real indicator of which side is enjoying the most success in the match. Whichever player is spending the most time defending, is probably going to end up on the losing side of the encounter.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Kyle Walker of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane on August 20, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
3. Kyle Walker vs. Marko Arnautovic
I have to confess, that there’s something I really fancy about Stoke forward Marko Arnautovic. It’s quite possible that he’s clinically insane, but he plays with a real edge that I can’t help but admire.
Kyle Walker isn’t exactly the most even-keeled football player on the planet either. He’s certainly been known to lose his cool a time or two over the years. Fortunately for Spurs fans, those mental lapses have decreased significantly since Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival.
The man who keeps the coolest head in this match will give his side a giant advantage. It’s hard to imagine Stoke’s attack really causing Tottenham many problems unless Arnautovic can get some time and space on the ball. It’ll be Walker’s job to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Danny Rose’s absence also puts Walker under more pressure on the offensive end of the pitch. He becomes the fullback the club will rely on to bomb forward and create width via transition opportunities. He’ll need to pick his spots carefully to make sure Arnautovic doesn’t punish him on the counter.
This should be one of the most enjoyable matchups to watch on Saturday. These two highly competitive, highly athletic players will give their fans something to talk about.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: Ryan Shawcross of Stoke City shows his captains armband during the Premier League match between Everton and Stoke City at Goodison Park on August 27, 2016 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images)
2. Ryan Shawcross vs. Harry Kane
With all due respect to American international Geoff Cameron, Ryan Shawcross is Stoke’s most important central defender. On Saturday, he’ll be the man tasked with grappling against Tottenham forward Harry Kane for the full 90 minutes.
Shawcross can handle Kane physically, but I’m not sure he’s got the foot speed to deal with his clever movement all over the pitch. If Shawcross becomes too concerned with sticking near Kane, he’s likely to see another Spurs attacker streak past him into the box.
It’s also worth noting that Tottenham have shown themselves to be very vulnerable on set pieces over the past year. Shawcross could really hurt Spurs by getting on the end of a dangerous set piece.
Still, Shawcross needs to be much more focused on his defensive responsibilities. He will want to extend Harry Kane’s goalless streak. After all, if Kane gets one goal, the floodgates might open for him.
TRNAVA, SLOVAKIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Dele Alli of England reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F qualifying match between Slovakia and England at City Arena on September 4, 2016 in Trnava, Slovakia. (Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
1. Dele Alli vs. Giannelli Imbula
Dele Alli is a household name after he burst onto the Premier League scene last season. He scored some of the most exquisite goals of the season, and parlayed that into a spot in the England squad.
In sharp contrast, Giannelli Imbula is still a name that most Premier League fans are largely unfamiliar with. The young Frenchman is Stoke’s most talented midfielder, and is a huge influence on his squad. When he’s humming, the Potters are tough to stop. When he’s struggling, they can look like a side flirting with relegation.
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Both men will find themselves competing against one another quite a bit on Saturday. Each player will want to get forward whenever possible, while still being aware of his defensive responsibilities. Bet on Alli to see more of the ball due to Tottenham’s projected possession advantage.
That means it’s vital for Imbula to make the right play when Stoke recover possession and look to get out on the break. It’ll be their best route to score versus Spurs, and Imbula is the most likely midfielder to spark such an attack. Unfortunately for the Potters starlet, even if he gets past Alli, he still has Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama to deal with.
If Imbula can find his way past that group with the ball, Stoke will have an excellent chance to spring the upset. If he squanders possession instead, Tottenham should spend lots of time in Stoke’s final third.
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