Premier League 2019/20: Tottenham Hotspur's ideal midfield combination for the upcoming season
Tottenham Hotspur started their pre-season campaign with a 3-2 victory against Juventus, courtesy of an outrageous half-line effort from Harry Kane. The Liliywhites will begin their next campaign on the back of a remarkable 2018/19 campaign where they finished as the Champions League runners-up.
Spurs have signed two players thus far and will need more recruitments in order to sustain the levels they achieved last season. Tanguy Ndombele showed glimpses of his quality in a 30-minute cameo against the Bianconeri. Tottenham is linked with a few more players but Ndombele's arrival has settled Pochettino's midfield combination to a certain extent.
Pochettino prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation and early signs have hinted that the Argentine tactician is going to stick to his tried and tested methods next season as well.
With Tottenham's upcoming campaign in mind, let's glance through Pochettino's ideal midfield axis.
CDM: Moussa Sissoko
In spite of his limited abilities, Moussa Sissoko has been a vital cog in Pochettino's system, transforming from a wide-player to a holding midfielder with the help of his imposing physique and work-rate. The Frenchman was instrumental in Tottenham's incredible Champions League journey, barring his handball which resulted in Liverpool taking a crucial lead in the crunch clash.
Sissoko was Spurs' best midfielder last season, and injury issues to Dele Alli and Harry Winks ensured that France international featured consistently for The Lilywhites. In his 29 Premier League appearances, Moussa averaged 7.17 ball recoveries per game- substantial numbers for a holding midfielder.
In terms of passing, the 29-year-old distributed the ball 46.5 times with an accuracy of 86.48%. The statistics underscore the value of Sissoko in Pochettino's side as a utility midfielder. With Dele Alli deployed as a number-ten, Harry Winks could find himself behind Sissoko in the pecking order.