After missing out on action last weekend, Tottenham Hotspur will play Crystal Palace in the Premier League this afternoon. The Blues’ participation in the Carabao Cup final caused the match against Chelsea to be postponed.
Oliver Glasner orchestrated a convincing victory over Burnley in his debut game in the dugout one week ago, and Ange Postecoglou will be keen to quell the Eagles’ “manager bounce.”
Premier League ange-postecoglou-tottenham-aston-villa
Spurs must now avoid any setbacks in order to maintain their quest for Champions League qualifying after suffering a depressing home loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their previous match.
Crystal Palace vs. Spurs team news
Due to a knee injury sustained in the previous match, Richarlison may be sidelined for up to four weeks. With ten goals in 10 games, the Brazilian will undoubtedly be missed at N17.
Additionally, Pedro Porro is still out due to injury sustained during the Old Gold defeat; however, teammate full-back Destiny Udogie is expected to start following his resolution of the problem that kept him out of the game two weeks ago.
Pedro Porro for the Reds.
As Captain Heung-min Son is most likely to take Richarlison’s place at the top, Timo Werner has to be allowed to go free on the wing, ahead of Brennan Johnson.
Why Richarlison should be replaced by Timo Werner
There’s no denying that Richarlison’s injury is a major setback, but Tottenham has plenty of offensive options, and Son is not exactly ineffective at center forward.
In fact, the South Korean player has scored nine goals and provided two assists in 12 top-flight games thus far this season. Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic has praised the player for his “lethal” finishing.
Werner may now reposition himself on the left as Son returns to the striker’s role. Although the Germany international, who signed on loan from RB Leipzig in January, hasn’t scored yet, his effort and enthusiasm have impressed.
Werner, who analyst Paul Merson praised for his “lightning quick” speed, is the ideal player to stretch the Palace defense, which Glasner’s coaching changed to a three-man center last weekend.
Joel Ward, on Werner’s offensive left side, was dribbled past and lost both of his ground duels; if the Austrian decides to field the same side, Werner’s pace and dynamism will undoubtedly cause harm.
For further evidence, consider this: according to FBref, the 27-year-old ranks in the top 4% of positional peers across the top five leagues in Europe for progressive carries, the top 12% for progressive passes, and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90. His quickness and inventiveness will help the shifted Son succeed with a consistent supply of support rather than being solely dependent on No. 10 James Maddison.
Werner must be unleashed by Tottenham; even if he doesn’t score himself, his skills will be ideal to help the Lilywhites get back into the victory column.
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