Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react to Mauricio Pochettino’s team selection against Leicester City on Saturday.
Spurs travel to the midlands knowing that a win could see them move up to second in the league, at least until Manchester City play Watford later in the day.
But many supporters have been left fuming by the side that Pochettino has named.
Notable absentees include Dele Alli, Hugo Lloris, and Davinson Sanchez, none of whom made the match day squad, while Christian Eriksen drops back to the bench and Lucas Moura fails to get the nod despite his goalscoring turn against Olympiacos in midweek.
Many fans have been left massively underwhelmed by the XI that the Argentine has put out instead, and here are some of the best tweets.
meh
— franklin saint (@RODRlBENTANCUR) September 21, 2019
Self-sabotage
— Abraham (@MrRichardTagoe) September 21, 2019
To be fair to Pochettino, you would assume that most of these changes have been forced upon him.
Obviously, Lloris, Sanchez, and Alli would all feature in some capacity if they were fit and firing, and so you would have to presume that the trio are in the treatment room.
More controversial, however, is the decision to bench Eriksen and Lucas.
The Dane may not have had the best game in Greece on Wednesday night, having no shots, no successful dribbles, and registering a pass completion rate of 78.3%, compared to his Premier League average of 82.6%, as per Whoscored, but he is still a lethal player, and Spurs look like a much better side with him amongst the action.
In a chequered start to the season that has seen him start just three times in the Premier League, he has averaged two shots, two key passes, and been dispossessed just 0.8 times per match, as per Whoscored.
https://twitter.com/Sissokoszn/status/1175356980409634819?s=20
We're dead with that midfield ?
— Aditya (@aditya1THFC) September 21, 2019
Similarly, you have to wonder what Lucas has done to offend Mauricio Pochettino.
The Brazilian has only started twice in the league, but has averaged 3.7 shots per 90 minutes, as well as 1.2 key passes, and 2.5 successful dribbles, as per Whoscored.
Given those stats, plus his goal in Greece, it’s baffling as to why he hasn’t been given the start today.
By contrast, Erik Lamela, who has started six Premier League games this season, has averaged 1.5 shots per game, and has made 1.5 key passes and 1.2 dribbles.
Here’s hoping Pochettino’s controversial decision doesn’t come back to haunt him.
GET LUCAS ON THE PITCH! THIS IS A JOKE
— sean (@sean_566) September 21, 2019
https://twitter.com/Modern_spurs/status/1175358222213025793?s=20
https://twitter.com/ElleBiggerstaff/status/1175356758816169989?s=20