Ange must ruthlessly axe “future £100m” Spurs star

Things have not gone remotely to plan for Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have been utterly ravaged by a seemingly never-ending list of injuries that have seen them fall down the Premier League table, but on the weekend, something finally went their way.

The Lilywhites made the short trip to free-scoring Brentford and ran out 2-0 winners thanks to an uncharacteristically solid defensive display, and then to further bolster morale, the club secured the services of centre-back Kevin Danso and attacker Mathys Tel before the transfer window slammed shut.

Attention now turns to the second leg of the club’s League Cup semi-final away to Liverpool tonight, and while the team who won at the Gtech were excellent, Postecoglou must be bold and drop one of the team’s stand-out performers this season for Danso.

Why Danso must start against Liverpool

So, it is no secret that tonight’s clash at Anfield is Spurs’ most important game of the campaign thus far, as a win, or even a draw, will see them make it into the League Cup final and stand a serious chance of ending their trophy drought.

So, with that said, Postecoglou needs to play his best team, and with Radu Dragusin now out and both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven looking unlikely to feature, there could be a real lack of experience at the back, unless, of course, he does what he needs to do and gives new boy Danso his first start.

In an ideal world, the loanee would be eased into the team, but given the manager’s lack of options and the incredible importance of the game, there is no other sensible choice, and based on this season, the Voitsberg-born star looks more than capable of stepping up.

For example, he’s already made 14 appearances for Lens this season, who are sixth in Ligue 1, and on top of that, he has plenty of international experience, winning 24 caps for Austria and playing 211 minutes for the team at last year’s European Championships.

On top of his experience and know-how, the 24-year-old can also bring his impressive physical characteristics to the backline, as he stands at 6 foot 3, and according to respected football analyst Ben Mattinson, he’s blessed with “rapid recovery pace”, which is “perfect for teams with a high line.”

There is undoubtedly an element of risk in handing a player their first start in such a high-pressure game, but Danso looks to be just the sort of defender Postecoglou desperately needs at the moment, although to make space for him, he’ll need to take one of his young stars out of the team.

The Spurs star Postecoglou should drop

So, with everything we have said above, it should be no surprise that the player we think Postecoglou should be taking out of the backline tonight is Archie Gray.

Now, before the pitchforks come out, that is in no way a slight on how the youngster has played this season, but considering the magnitude of tonight’s game and the pressure he’d be under, it feels like it would be ill-advised to start him in an unnatural position when the club now has someone to come in a play there.

Moreover, while the 18-year-old prospect has been brilliant since becoming a regular in the first team and is playing well beyond his years, there is also a responsibility from the club and manager not to overplay him, and there is a risk of that now.

For example, the Durham-born gem has already made 30 first-team appearances this season, and more important than that, he’s played a whopping 2157 minutes, and it’s only February.

The former Leeds United ace has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, and from what we have seen of him so far, it looks like he could fulfil Mattinson’s claim that he’s a “future £100m cm,” but for that to happen, he needs to be able to rest now and again.

Moreover, if the manager feels he is needed in tonight’s game, he’d be better off bringing him on in midfield later in the match, where he could influence proceedings more.

Ultimately, Postecoglou should look to drop Gray tonight for three reasons: he now has another recognised centre-back in Danso, he shouldn’t be played into the ground, and the game will be unbelievably intense.