Postecoglou could consider three Spurs changes vs Chelsea as Udogie call looms

Here, we examine several potential lineup adjustments Ange Postecoglou might make for Tottenham’s Premier League matchup with Chelsea on Monday night.

When Tottenham plays Chelsea on Monday night, they have the chance to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League. Spurs will be eager to continue their winning start to the season after enjoying a good amount of time in training with Ange Postecoglou and his coaching team after their most recent 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace.

The return of Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the major discussion topic before of the London derby match. The Argentine, who was fired as Tottenham’s manager four years ago, is currently in charge of Chelsea and has had a mixed start to his time at Stamford Bridge.

Encouraged by Rodrigo Bentancur’s comeback in the Selhurst Park victory, Postecoglou will be hoping for more good news on the injury front given the pregame worries over Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies. What adjustments to his Tottenham squad might the Australian make in preparation for the Chelsea match?Check out what football.london finds below.

Destiny Udogie/Emerson Royal for Ben Davies

Since Davies’ ankle problem is currently bothering him, Postecoglou acknowledged during his pre-game news conference, raising doubts about Davies’ spot in the matchday squad on Monday night. It’s difficult to envision the seasoned player starting from the outset against Chelsea after he struggled to start the Crystal Palace match at left-back before Emerson Royal took his position.

Emerson should start in place of Udogie, who was absent from Spurs’ most recent league game. Emerson played a strong defensive and offensive game in the team’s victory over Roy Hodgson. If Udogie is absent, the Brazilian more than warrants another start after presenting his case to Postecoglou.

But once they’ve evaluated his fitness, the head coach will have an easy time deciding whether the Italy international is ready to play again. Since making his Tottenham debut at the start of the season, Udogie has performed admirably, making him a first-choice left-back.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for Yves Bissouma

Postecoglou may want to think about starting Hojbjerg after his recent string of excellent performances. After impressing in the victory against Fulham, the Dane may have been unlucky to be benched against Crystal Palace; nonetheless, he did help Tottenham over the finish line in the second half when he came on for Bissouma in the latter minutes in south London.

Even though the Mali international didn’t play well at Palace, it’s difficult to imagine him losing ground given how important he has been this season. Hojbjerg is likely to have a significant role in the last moments of the match against Chelsea even if he is starting from the bench once more.

Spurs should ease the Uruguayan back into the starting lineup rather than throwing him back into the deep end just now, even though Bentancur has returned from his much-needed injury absence.

Brennan Johnson for Richarlison

Another possible switch to the left side would be Johnson in place of Richarlison. The summer addition’s Tottenham career has started erratically thus far, but he made a significant impact at Palace by setting up Son Heung-min for a goal two minutes after coming off the bench.

Given that his player has the speed and skill to cause Chelsea problems, Postecoglou might be tempted to unleash him right away against the Blues. Johnson looks to be the clear favorite to start over Richarlison, despite the fact that he has recently made an impact, recording one goal and three assists in his last six league games.