This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Tottenham’s impressive victory over Red Star Belgrade may have been an eye-opener for Mauricio Pochettino, as the performance of Davinson Sanchez showed that he is deserving of a regular run in the side, starting at Liverpool on Sunday.
On the chalkboard
The Colombian has often found himself out of the team this season and has occasionally had to fill in at right-back, with Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen consistently being preferred ahead of him despite Spurs’ poor defensive record. Sanchez was even the one from the trio who was hauled off at half-time on Saturday by Pochettino, after starting as part of a back three with the Belgian duo.
They have conceded 22 goals in 13 games this term and the clean sheet on Tuesday was only their third of the campaign with Sanchez having featured in two out of three, and that means he should be pushing for a start.
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Although Spurs dominated on Tuesday with 59% possession, it could have been a different story but for the centre-back’s two tackles and two interceptions, and his assuredness at the back is what the team has missed too often this season.
He has also been very effective on the ball in his last two games, with 93% and 94% pass accuracy against Red Star and Watford respectively, an aspect of his play which places him ahead of the other centre-backs in the squad.
Change in fortunes
The former Ajax man has proved that he should be in the starting line-up for the foreseeable future, particularly as Vertonghen and Alderweireld have looked susceptible at the back recently.
Against the Hornets the latter was responsible for the goal conceded, whilst his compatriot was fortunate not to concede a penalty, and was often caught out of position on Tuesday, too, with Ben Davies bailing him out too often.
That is another positive which should work in Sanchez’s favour, as he was a lot more convincing than his centre-back partner, with a WhoScored rating of 7.4 compared to Vertonghen’s 6.6, giving Pochettino plenty to think about.
As a result, he could be in line to start at Anfield on Saturday, as the Argentine may favour consistency in his team due to the positive result they picked up.
If he can show discipline on and off the ball once again, whilst keeping a close eye of Roberto Firmino, he will only help his chances of retaining a first-team spot, and if he manages to nail down a regular place it will be big turnaround from the previous 12 months, having started only 22 league games in 2018/19.
