Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United: Opposition Analysis
Newcastle United face a tough opponent on Saturday evening in the form of Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
They will be facing a much-changed Spurs, which now includes ex-Toon midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Spurs are a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team. They lost badly to Brentford, but beat Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
So what can Newcastle expect from their opponents?
Key Players
Sandro Tonali
Newcastle face another one of their ex-players, and its fair to say that Tonali hasn’t got off to the best of starts in Spurs colours.
He has only scored one goal, and that came in pre-season against Chelsea. In the 3-0 loss to Brentford, he looked lost, like many of his teammates. Afterwards, Roberto De Zerbi said the midfielder was “not in the best physical condition”, and he was rested for the Carabao Cup game against Charlton.
But Tonali is a great player, and when he is in the mood he dictates the midfield. When he isn’t, he is anonymous. We’ll see which Tonali turns up on Saturday.
Ben Davies
Davies is a Spurs stalwart, and provides much-needed continuity as De Zerbi tries to integrate his new players.
He didn’t come off the bench for the Brentford game, but De Zerbi played him against Charlton and Davies repaid that with a goal and a late goal-saving clearance.
When he plays, he provides the leadership that Spurs, at times, seem to lack. But at 33, he may find his minutes restricted under the Italian coach.
One To Watch
Sávio
Formerly known as Savinho, Sávio will hope that his name change, and change of club, will improve his fortunes.
The £75m winger made an immediate impact on his debut against Charlton, providing a goal and an assist.
Okay, so its hard to judge a player from one game, but the signs are good. He gave Spurs’ attack some dynamism, and he got the fans out of their seats more than once.
He only managed three goals and two assists in all competitions last season, but De Zerbi could be the man to unlock his talent.
Weaknesses
With so many new players, this Spurs team are struggling to gel. They looked completely out of sorts against Brentford, who played through them with ease. Those on field partnerships will come, but it will take time.
They are also lacking some physicality in defence. Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi were bullied by Brentford, and Senesi, like Tonali, was left out of the Charlton game to work on his fitness.
Although they have experienced defenders, they are missing the guile of Micky van der Ven, who is a doubt for Saturday’s game.