Tottenham Hotspur could be without Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison for the Europa League final. Here are four options to replace Dejan Kulusevski in the Tottenham XI for the Europa League final
Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a few blows ahead of the Europa League final, with Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison set to miss the clash on Wednesday, May 21.
Dejan Kulusevski suffered a knock to his knee in Spurs’ clash against Crystal Palace, although Ange Postecoglou provided an optimistic report on the injury after the game.
However, it was reported on Wednesday morning that Kulusevski is now a doubt to feature in the Tottenham squad for the Europa League final.
Should the Swede not recover in time, Ange Postecoglou would have to get creative as he searches for solutions. We have now identified four ways Spurs can set up in the absence of their creative 10s, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
Pape Matar Sarr’s pressing could unlock Tottenham ten role
One of the options Postecoglou is set to have at his disposal should Kulusevski not make it in time for the final would be to push Pape Matar Sarr further up the pitch.
Doing this would help Tottenham to press and suffocate Manchester United very high, given the Senegalese’s work rate and pressing ability.
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However, while that could work, the issue with this setup is that Spurs would suffer when trying to break down United’s rest defence.
In possession, Sarr’s inability to pick out those killer passes could hinder Spurs’ attacking play, especially when United are looking to defend in numbers.
The Senegalese midfielder has also struggled for form in recent weeks, and his lack of creativity in the opposition box and final third makes him less ideal for this role.
Rodrigo Bentancur could advance further up the pitch
Another option that could be explored is Rodrigo Bentancur occupying the 10 role, while Archie Gray comes in to cover the deeper midfield.
Honestly, that setup inspires the least confidence, as Tottenham would be weakening their midfield by playing an out-of-form Gray and an inconsistent Yves Bissouma in the engine room.
While Bentancur has improved in recent weeks, particularly in the Europa League, it is always better if a side plays their best players in their best positions, as this would help them to maximise their full potential.
Gray has also struggled each time he has played in that deeper midfield role – it would be a huge risk playing him there in one of the biggest games of Tottenham’s season.
Postecoglou could return to Odobert 10 experiment
Another option available to Tottenham is playing Wilson Odobert in the 10 role, a move we have already seen Postecoglou deploy this season, with the young Frenchman playing in there briefly against Crystal Palace.
Postecoglou himself was quick to admit that most of the players who featured against Palace failed to take their chance to stake a place in the Europa League final.
The Tottenham boss also admitted that the only reason Odobert was moved to the central position against Palace was because he did not want to risk any of the players he would love to start in the final.
Odobert’s performance against Crystal Palace did not inspire much confidence either, as the winger did not complete any crosses, played one pass into the final third, was dispossessed twice, and completed no dribbles.
Richarlison and Dominic Solanke could make a Tottenham front two
A final option that could be tried out is playing Dominic Solanke and Richarlison up top together – and this time not as out-and-out forwards, but as fluid forwards who interchange their positions.
Dominic Solanke has proven to be effective outside the box this season, while Richarlison has shown that he can find the back of the net.
Having Solanke play as a second striker is another option available to Postecoglou. However, while it might sound good on paper, this is something we have not seen happen quite a lot this season.
In fact, the most recent occasion where these two played together was against Nottingham Forest in the dying moments of the game, and Richarlison did find the back of the net on that occasion.
Perhaps Postecoglou might test out this option against Aston Villa in the League to see whether it is a feasible plan.