Dele Alli Banned by the FA: How will Tottenham Hotspur Line Up Against Manchester United?

Dele Alli Banned By The FA

On 11th June 2020 England and Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli was charged with misconduct by the Football Association for an inappropriate posting on social media back in February about the coronavirus.

As a consequence,  the 23-year-old will face a one-game ban which will see him miss the Lillywhite’s first return game against Manchester United next Friday as well as a £50,000 fine by the FA.

Dele Alli will miss Tottenham's clash with Manchester United next week after the FA handed him a one-game suspension for a social media post.

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 11, 2020

Let’s take a look at how Spurs could line up against the Red Devils next week without Dele Alli:

Goalkeeper:

Hugo Lloris

Branded as: “One of the biggest winners in football” by Jose Mourinho, Hugo Lloris will most undoubtedly start between the sticks for Tottenham next Friday night.

Spurs look sharper when their captain is on the team sheet, for example, his famous penalty save against Manchester City this season led Spurs to a 2-0 victory that day.

However, some fans have criticized the Frenchman at times for his lack of judgment or his proneness to silly mistakes.

But he is most definitely the most talented and consistent goalkeeper Jose has at his disposal and I’m sure he will feature in this heated fixture.

Defence 

Serge Aurier

Not exactly a fan favorite but Serge Aurier is absolutely Jose’s choice at right-back.

He has been criticised in the past for his lack of defensive capability but since the arrival of the Special One, he has flourished under his new attacking right-back role which has seen him go further up the pitch without the defensive responsibilities.

A variety of players have been used when Aurier has been unavailable, such as Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez for instance, but Aurier has certainly improved under this new management team; achieving a surprising amount of assists in all competitions.

The position of right-back is one that Tottenham will look to invest in during the Summer transfer window but for now, Serge Aurier is Mourinho’s man as he is the only player in that squad in which right-back is their natural position.

Toby Alderweireld 

As Tottenham’s most competent and experienced defended, Alderweireld is always one of the first names on the team sheet.

After refusing to sign a contract under Pochettino, the Belgian put pen to paper after the arrival of Jose and has since started in the majority of games for him.

His unique long-range pass ability and competence on as well as off the ball is what makes him a favourite of the Portuguese.

The 31 year old will absolutely be a part of the Spurs back line against Manchester United next week.

Eric Dier

This selection may be controversial but toward the end of the season, Dier started to play more and more games.

The decline of Jan Vertonghen and the issues surrounding his contract situation has seen Dier publicly admit that he sees his future as a defender rather than a holding midfield player.

For what Dier does lack in pace, he makes up for in determination and the desire to please the manager.

It is said that the Englishman is very friendly with Mourinho as they are both Portuguese speakers. Jose is a great admirer of Dier as he tried to sign the 26-year-old twice during his managerial stint at Old Trafford.

Not only that, in the ‘Spurs v Spurs’ practice game last week at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Eric Dier was seen paired with Toby Alderweireld during that match.

This makes me believe that Mourinho will choose to play Dier alongside his Belgian teammate in order to freshen up his team’s defence.

Ben Davies

The Welsh international was praised by Mourinho as the player that makes his team tick and the perfect defensive left back he needs in order for Spurs to play the way he wants to.

Tottenham have experimented with Japhet Tanganga and Ryan Sessegnon at left-back, while the former did shine in that position he is not naturally left-footed and struggled at times, while Sessegnon is thought to be not ready just yet.

Davies will surely be in the Spurs defence against United as his defensive ability to tuck in while his team is in possession, allows Aurier to do his job perfectly.

Midfield

Giovani Lo Celso

A fan favourite, Lo Celso was on a great run of form before the season was paused abruptly and many fans will hope he’s not lost this glimmer of greatness.

The 23-year-old had a rough start to the Mourinho era but has now found his feet; with the Spurs boss commenting how: “I Knew nothing about Lo Celso when he joined, but now I know everything about him… I know he is going to be a top player”.

He is most definitely the engine room in the Tottenham midfield and will start for Spurs next week.

Harry Winks

A player that has admitted he’s learning new things every single day under his new boss, Harry Winks has a bright future ahead.

He is able to work well on and off the ball as well as add more defensive capabilities to his game and this makes him a great player in the eyes of fans and the Tottenham coaching staff.

He has been paired with Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy NDombele and Oliver Skipp in the past but has flourished when paired with the Argentine international Lo Celso.

Son Heung Min

After returning from mandatory military service in South Korea, Son, a fan favourite, has been working hard in training to get back to match fitness after suffering from a broken arm at Villa Park, in which he injured himself one minute into the game.

He played the full 90 minutes and scored a last-minute goal to secure a 3-2 victory for Tottenham.

Son, much like Alderweireld in defence, is another player that is first on the team sheet. It will, however, be interesting to see how he copes after not playing football for four months. But I expect he will start against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.

Tanguy Ndombele

After finishing the season at a low point and being publicly criticised by his manager, NDombele has seen a sharp rise in fitness during the lockdown period.

Although controversial, Mourinho took Ndombele for a one to one session when training was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic and this clearly shows Jose’s faith in the midfielder.

From photographs provided by the club, it is clear that Jose’s belief in the Frenchman has given him the confidence boost to lose a considerable amount of weight and a start against a huge club like United would provide that further boost he needs to fulfill his £62 million transfer fee.

Ndombele’s creativity in midfield also allows him to play a deeper role as well as an advanced midfield role where Dele Alli would have played.

Not only that, in the Spurs v Spurs game last week he scored a goal from the number ten position and managed to provide involvements in the other goals for the ‘away’ team.

He hasn’t started a match for some time, even before the lockdown period, but I believe Tanguy Ndombele will be on the team sheet against Manchester United.

Steven Bergwijn

One of Spurs’ January signings, Steven Bergwijn, formally of PSV Eindhoven, has been magnificent since his debut against Manchester City back January; a game in which he scored and Tottenham went on to win the game 2-0.

He did, unfortunately, pick up a groin injury against Burnley during the club’s last Premier League fixture before the lockdown begun.

But the Dutchman is now at full fitness and is ready to shine for his club.

Striker

Harry Kane

With no other recognised senior number nine and with Troy Parrot currently incapacitated after an appendix removal operation, Spurs have no choice but to give the England Skipper his first start since January. A game where he picked up a hamstring injury in a 2-2 draw against Norwich.

Kane will be itching to get back on the pitch and help his boyhood club achieve Champions League football next season. In a recent interview with Sky Sports he said: “I’m looking forward to getting back and we need to win eight out of our last nine games if we want to get into that Champions League spot for next season”.

It could be argued that the three forwards for Spurs have been injured for so long that they haven’t played football for some time. However, that is that same situation every single Premier League player is in, nobody is up to match fitness because of the lockdown so it is essentially a level playing field for Spurs regarding that aspect.

But a quality link up with Kane, Son and Steven Bergwijn could benefit Spurs greatly and see them stumble into a Champions League place for next season.

Formation: 4-2-3-1 

Lloris; Aurier Alderweireld, Dier, Davies; Winks, Lo Celso; Bergwijn, Ndombele, Son; Kane. 

Subs: Gazzaniga, Sessegnon, Vertonghen, Tanganga, Skipp, Gedson, Sissoko, Lamela, Lucas.

(Premier League rules now allow up to nine named substitutes on the bench and up to five substitutions can be made during the game)

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘Dele Alli Banned By The FA.’ Do you think Dele Alli deserved the ban? How will Spurs line up in their opening game against Manchester United? Let us know!

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