Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Jamie Redknapp admits three Tottenham players shocked him at Man United yesterday
Jamie Redknapp admitted that Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield three shocked him at Manchester United yesterday.
Ange Postecoglou opted for a trio of Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park.
Spurs were without Dejan Kulusevski after the Swede missed out through illness, while James Maddison and Giovani Lo Celso are also sidelined.
Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are currently at AFCON 2024, leaving the Aussie boss short of options in midfield for the time being.
Many Spurs fans feared the worst after seeing a very defensive midfield three named at Old Trafford. But despite a lack of creativity in the middle of the park, Spurs completely dominated the game while Bentancur also got on the scoresheet.
And Jamie Redknapp admitted on ’ coverage of the game that it took him by surprise given Tottenham’s midfield three on the day.
Redknapp surprised by Tottenham’s midfield vs United
Redknapp conceded that due to Tottenham’s absences in midfield, he wasn’t expecting them to dominate the game in the manner they did.
“I was surprised to see Skipp, Hojbjerg and Bentancur dominate the midfield though when you think of the players who are out in that area,” he said. “They aren’t used to playing with each other.”
Bentancur is currently working his way back to full fitness after suffering an ankle injury in the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in November.
The Uruguayan seems to be getting sharper by the game following a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to an ACL injury.
As for Skipp and Hojbjerg, the duo certainly aren’t first-choice under Postecoglou and it remains to be seen whether or not they have long-term futures at Spurs.
Despite their obvious limitations in Postecoglou’s system, they stepped up well yesterday and both put in a good shift.
Of course, it seems unlikely that either player will nail down their place in the side one the likes if Bissouma, Sarr and Maddison return. But they have shown they can step up and do a job when required, even in a difficult away game at United.