The League Cup is generally seen as the Mickey Mouse cup – something to test fringe players in, and a chance for a day out to Wembley. This is the case for most clubs, except Tottenham…
I share the view of going as far as we can – the more games he gets, the more chances Ainsley Maitland-Niles becomes the greatest winger-cum-auxiliary full back this country has ever seen.
In any case, the whole team is likely to be rotated; Rob Holding is likely to come in behind a Francis Coquelin/Aaron Ramsey pivot, while Lucas Perez’s inclusion may give Alexis Sanchez a rest. The beauty of the replacements is that they can enable the exact same style of play.
Southampton, under Claude Puel, are a fantastic outfit. A solid defence is protected by a midfield three containing Oriol Romeu and Pierre-Emile Hojberg, both underrated in their own right.
We are likely to see the clinical Charlie Austin up front, and it would be a dreadful sight to see Shane Long flank him, who is always a thorn in our side. It would also be interesting to see Josh Sims, the youngster who impressed greatly against Everton, be given a chance again.
Southampton are likely to play a flat 4-3-2-1, with the wingers acting as inside forwards in a narrow formation. This can provide an opportunity for players such as Gibbs to force the wider overlap.
The likely inclusion of Olivier Giroud makes for an interesting battle – if he can occupy Jose Fonte and Virgil Van Dijk, it can free up space for the midfield.
