After missing last weekend’s 2-1 win away to Stoke, Benoit Assou-Ekotto is fit again and in the frame for a starting berth against Sunderland on Sunday.
“Benoit is training with the team and back in contention,” said Andre Villas-Boas in his pre-match press conference.
After shuffling his defence for much of the season, AVB seemed to have settled on a first choice back four so will Benny come straight back in and line up alongside Walker, Dawson and Vertonghen?
Elsewhere, Andre may just be tempted to play two strikers in a game where nothing other than a win will do. Defoe could slot in alongside Adebayor but in all probability, there will be no changes from the midfield up.
Sigurdsson and Holtby will be pressing for starts but here’s how we think we will line up at kick off – what’s your view?
Lloris
Walker Vertonghen Dawson BAE
Lennon Sigurdsson/Holtby Bale
Adebayor
I know a novel idea playing bale on the left but he has been marked out of the game against the scum and stoke so we need to get him in positions where there is not 5 players surrounding him
Just realised missed parker and dembele infront of the defense
yes playing with 9 or 10 players is very novel. Should have gone to specsavers.
After recent results, I’d like to see AVB take a gamble and go all out with a 4-4-2 formation, dropping Clint for JD, giving Lennon and Bale the chance for free form, interchanging wings, coming inside… maybe a change at halftime if its broken.
Lloris,
Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, BAE,
Lennon, Parker, Dembele, Bale,
Defoe, Adebayor.
Subs: Friedel, Caulker, Naughton, Dempsey, Siggurdson, Holtby.
agree with the lineup except i would have siggy in place of deuce. hudd or carrol to come on 2nd half in case we need a bit of flair and defoe for some extra bite. COYS.
Lloris
Walker Dawson Vertonghen BAE
Huddlestone Dembele
Lennon Bale Dempsey
Adebayor
We don’t need Parker for this game, with Sunderland’s spine completely absent due to injury or suspension Bale down the middle is going to destroy them. Bramble is going to cack himself.
Lloris walker, caulker , Dawson , Vertonghen Huddleston , Carroll Bale , Sigurdsson , Dempsey Adebayor
Im going for broke and want to have this well and truly won by 60 mins, not get to the hour at 0-0 and have to change things, again, to get the points. So:
Lloris
Caulker, Dawson, Vertonghen
Huddlestone
Lennon, Siggy,Dembele, Bale
Adebayor, Defoe
Subs: Friedel,Dempsey,Holtby,Walker, Parker, Carroll,Ceballos
Great choice some of our fans need to Visit Speck savers. How the hell can they leave the best passer in the premiership and beyond out is clueless and only known to there brains. When Huddlestone who i agree is not yet back to his best and after 14 months our it will take a full close season injury free to achieve that but only if his two ankle operation have been a success. What he offers is something Parker cant offer and its this he keeps the ball moving and looks for players in the space that’s limited with some teams using supplements to help them run for longer periods and limit the space you need to attack. He also helps Dembele to play farther up field where he can do more damage running in the premiership with the ball at your feet has got harder the more science has played a part in energy levels. This is why Carrick played a great part in Utd winning the league in a canter, Huddlestone with Lennon fit Bale fit Dembele fit Kaboul Walker Holtby Defoe Ady would be like a giant quarter back saving energy allover the field with 5 10 15 20 50 yard passes. At the moment when Huddlestone was benched it was taking six passes or more forward backwards and sideways before we can attack and by then all the opposition are behind the ball making it difficult for Bale Lennon Ady Defoe Dembele others to run into. So even bringing a player like Moutinho in wont guarantee we will attack more Coutino has learned quickly passing with speed and thought gets you more rewards with his killer passes to Sturridge. My TEAM WOULD BE Lloris Caulker Dawson Vertonghan Pritchard (Lennon) Holtby Hudds Dembele Defoe Bale Ady 353 Subs Friedel Ceballos Dembpsey SIGGY Walker Parker Fryer
Davspurs – your belief in Hudd is admirable, but his passing alone does not make up for his deficiencies in speed, stamina and inability to beat a player. Added to that, his dead ball delivery has been terrible and despite getting the ball in excellent positions, he just seems scared to have a crack at goal. For me alot of Spurs problem has been the two defensive midfields, allowing too much space for the opposition and not scoring themselves. Look at the goals Ramirez has scored for Chelski for example, getting forward and finishing well. SOmething Spurs sadly lack. Im afraid next season, with sandro and dembele fit and possible another DM brought in to replace Parker, Hudd will be a squad player at best. At knowing that, he may well move on to a team like Fulham,where I believe the slower style of play wil suit him. As for this weeks team, Im a fan of Siggy, but how can you leave Dempsey out after his performance last week?Not to mention all the other games he’s made the difference this season – he’s a big game player and must start.
I like Hudds as a squad player. Always needs players like that in your squad, but I can’t see him not being upgraded this summer. In fact, we need a new CAM, another winger for back up, and a replacement for Scotty. Love the guy and his hair, but he is not the same player he was. IF we do not do that, don’t even dream of top 4.
Agree with dan tbf guys although I do rate hudd I believe dembele and holtby as two holding players both fit, agile good passes, look at holtby in bundesliga
last season( admited he hasn’t found that yet but more game time/confidence will help. Also Dempsey is a must for me! Very important goals all season!
4231
Lloris
Walker
Dawson
Vert
Benny
Dembele
Holtby
Lennon
Bale
Siggy
Ade
Bring hudd, Lennon, Defoe in as impact from 60mins onwards. Just my opinion but I don’t think this will be team!
Sorry swap Lennon for Dempsey
Llorisimo walker daws caulks vertonny hudd Parker Azza duece baledinho adecantscore
Lllllloris
Walker Dawson Caulker Vertonghen
Huddlestone
Bale Dembele
Lennon Adebayor Siggy
Adebayor
You could even get above us when you picked a team of 12 players, mind you with 2 Adebaynoeverscores it is a team of 10 men. COYR
5th again? …. next year?
lets agree to change screen names. i have been allardyce here for a long time now. right Dan? i can’t have you being me anymore. especially as the chief pessimistic officer.
It was up for grabs, but it’s not anymore!! he he COYR
Happy St. Totteringham Day Bale FC you piece of shit. COYG!!!
hahahahahaha forever in our shadows!!!!!
Bale to Real. bye bye one man team
@Lasagna Gate
No he won’t leave for Real Madrid, Arsenal will sign him just to make sure for our celebration of St. Totteringham Day next year. FOYS.
COYG!!
Don’t be too disheartened you sorry Spuds, you did your best, but it just wasn’t good enough.
Be honest now, you knew right from the start of the season that you would finish behind us again, just as you always do.
Mind the gap!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
SG, this is harsh coming from you. Is this really you? I too am suffering a bit of identity problems as there is another allardyce posing as me on this thread. or maybe he is really him, and i am me too. one look in the phone book tells you there are possible a few thousand allardyce’s in london. so… can we get a registration system on this site?
@ Outsider
I don’t want a diving chimp at Arsenal. 5 yellows for simulation…disgraceful.
St. Totteringham day will live on forever.
I believe that would have been a harsh penalty, but that yellow for diving is cruel.
Happy St. Totteringham day
Class is permanent
It Will Be for ever 😛 😀
i can respect your club, but some of your fans are trash.
SPUD 😛 😀 😛
be happy. our day is coming. (i hope)
It’s too bad fans like me can’t also just leave the club like players. If Bale jumps ship like all the pundits are suggesting, I can’t. AVB, Levy… the board! Are you listening to the cries of your fans? We deserve more.
Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear oh dear. The hilarity. Cheers for the encouragement AVB.
Happy st totteringhams day guys enjoy it 🙂 I am the real allardyce
the real allardyce is a cynic and pessimist but he’s not a troll. and i agree, this site needs to upgrade to some sort of rgistration because were getting tired of arsenal tards on this site.
Spurs should sale Bale since they’re too rely too much on him and that’s not a good sign for the whole team morale. Look at Barcelona to Messi, Muenchen trash them because Messi is not perform well.
The Spur’s Champion’s League curse continues, it seems always at the hand’s of London rival’s.
Food poisoning at West Ham, Chelsea’s improbable victory in the Champions League, The Arse pipping us by one point this season.
As much as we look at as bad luck unfortunately we ‘tanked’ it, seven points clear of The Arse and then we drop silly points to Wigan and Fulham at home, while The Arse go on a ten match unbeaten run.
Adebeyor must go, Im sick of seeing him miss chance’s and then have a big smile on his face, Defoe was non existent in the second half of the season, god only know’s where we would have finished up without Bale.
We needed a top notch striker in the January transfer window and Levy sat on his hand’s and money and we suffered with one of the if not worst attacking combinations in the EPL.
The question is now do we sell Bale and bolster the Squad with at least two quality strikers and a wide left sided midfielder (Robben – from Bayern??.)
Lloris, Vertongen, Dembele – great signings
Dempsey, Sigurrdson, Holtby – the jury is still out, need a big 2013-14 season, Holtby in particular has been a disappointment.
I think we are stuck with Adebeyor, his stock’s have fallen from the career peak at The Arse, big money move to Man City and it is has been down hill since then, except for his two headed goals against Spur’s whilst playing for Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter final’s. Only a club like Stoke or Sunderland might take him of our hand’s for half the price we paid.
Time to spend big on quality striker’s otherwise all we will be aiming for is best of the rest 5th spot.
We finished 6 points off second, how those Everton, Liverpool, Wigan, Fulham losses from winnable positions this season have cost us (not buying a striker in January window) now looks like an expensive mistake.
“Ferguson had advised David Moyes to bring Gareth Bale to strengthen their squad for next season campaign. 60 mill offer soon will be official from the Manchester United side. Ferguson admitted he was ‘desired’ to bring Bale from Southampton but failed to secure his target to Tottenham Hotspur.”
So they will kick Ashley Young, Nani, and Anderson. Losing Bale for those three, what a upward progress!
I would hate to lose Bale. Hate it. But on the off night, i think 3 good players is better than 1 great player having an off night. I’m just being real, IF we could get Young, Nani and Anderson for Bale, I would do it.