Tottenham Hotspur are in the midst of their worst run of form all season, losing their last four consecutive matches. However, Jose Mourinho’s side head to Burnley today, with the previous encounter (a 5-0 win) their largest margin of victory all season. The Portuguese boss had Harry Kane and Son Heung-min available to him on that day, and the pair were imperious, grabbing three of the five goals; though both are now sidelined through injury. But Mourinho has two replacements who can replicate the duo’s role lying in his available squad.
Giovani Lo Celso and Steven Bergwijn can fit into the same 4-2-3-1 system Mourinho used in the previous clash, with the Argentine leading the line and Bergwijn wide on the right. At his former club, Real Betis, Lo Celso operated as a forward and provided 14 goals and five assists across 39 La Liga and Europa League matches, as per WhoScored. With help from Dele Alli behind him, the 23-year-old could attempt to replicate his sensation scoring rate.
However, so far during his time at Spurs, he has been utilised in a central midfield role which has seen his scoring output fall off of a cliff, as he has failed to assist or score once in the Premier League so far since arriving in the summer. Using Kane’s performance as a deeper forward in the first encounter with the Clarets, Lo Celso can look to mirror the Englishman and open his Premier League goal account.
Son scored one of the goals of the season in the last meeting between the two sides, a direct run from deep inside his own half. Bergwijn has shown in his early outings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that he has a similar control of the ball at speed to be able to replicate Son’s role darting runs in behind the Burnley defence and could fill the South Korean’s place in the side.
In order to end Spurs’ wretched run of form, Mourinho must use the same system and tactics as he did against Burnley in December, only this time with the inclusion of Lo Celso and Bergwijn. The Portuguese manager should trust they are capable of fulfilling the same roles as Tottenham’s injured top scorers and fire the team to their first victory in four matches.
