Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he intends to rest some players for Tottenham’s Champions League showdown against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
The Spurs manager admitted at his media briefing in Germany on Monday that he will make adjustments to the starting XI following Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal.
Asked if he will rest players against Dortmund, Pochettino admitted it is likely but he will not make huge changes.
“I hope not too many players rest tomorrow,” the Argentine said, as quoted by the personal Twitter account of Football London correspondent Alasdair Gold. “It’s clear the objective was to qualify and we’ve done that but we now want to finish top.”
Poch on whether he might rest players tomorrow: “I hope not too many players rest tomorrow. It’s clear the objective was to qualify and we’ve done that but we now want to finish top.” https://t.co/eZGadG3S00
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) November 20, 2017
Tottenham have already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League but they still want to secure top spot in the group ahead of Real Madrid if they win in Germany.
OPINION
Pochettino has a number of issues to ponder as he weighs up his team selection for a match that it is not imperative Tottenham win. Does he play his strongest available side, secure top spot in an extremely tough group and aim to restore confidence after the huge disappointment of the weekend? Or does he rest key men such as Harry Kane and Dele Alli from the starting line-up, and keep them wrapped in cotton wool ahead of a congested fixture schedule? It is a delicate balancing act for the manager, but expect one or two of the seniors to be rested. After all, Tottenham’s final Champions League group match is at home to minnows Apoel Nicosia, who the Spurs second string would be confident of demolishing.