Boring international break is over and Premier League is back this weekend. Tottenham will face Aston Villa on Sunday in 15 o'clock CET. Game will happen in the middle of big injury crises for home side. A lot of key players, Spurs have no decent substitute for, have been injured or suspended. Romero and Bissouma have been suspended, Madders, Van de Ven have been injured. Sarr didn't train and we'll se tomorrow will he be able to help, team mates. Udogie claims he is ready to play after injury. Phillips got injured too during England duty and will be out for month. Vicario had some issue too, but he should be fine.
Club owners sold Sanchez after closing of transfer window and put money in pockets and brought not ready Phillips in. That's why we will most likely watch Davies and Dier again on central defender positions trying to stop Olie Watkins.
Ange said this during his press conference:
"Yes we're under demand, yes we are going to have some key players missing but we are going to go out there, whether it's Aston Villa, Manchester City or whoever and we're going to play our football. I don't know any other way."
That should mean we should watch high line with slow limited players like Ben Davies and Eric Dier trying to go around opponents, control ball and deliver it forward like Van de Ven and Romero. Problem is I don't think they can do that. They will more likely play their way and pass ball sideways and backwards.
From Ange press I concluded we will see Skipp, Hojbjerg and Lo Celso in midfield or Sarr, Hojbjerg and Lo Celso if Sarr is ready. Midfield from Fulham Skipp, Hojbjerg and Lo Celso is giving me gosebumps when I remember how much they created against Fulham in League Cup. They will be not capable to impose Ange's attacking style of play to Aston Villa. That might not be bad thing because then we will not have high line and Ben and Eric will not be so exposed. Problem is fact that front three probably Johnson, Son and Kulusevski will be cut off in attack. Aston Villa will probably try to play high line too and long accurate balls in space toward Johnson and Son could make them a lot of problems.
But at the end of the day I don't see Ben, Eric, Pierre, Giovanni and Oliver sending such balls forward. Porro and Sarr might if they play. It will be one more match tough to watch and most likely defeat at home thanks to owners who failed to build a squad during summer. I expect Aston Villa will win 1:3 in this game with Olie Watkins running riot in North London. I'd be extremely happy if we somehow steal point on Sunday. Secretly I hope coming in of Bentancur and Donley in second half will change this dark prediction.
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