Ange drops Kulusevski from predicted line-up for Spurs vs Sheff Utd

Well, here we are. It's the end of Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge of Tottenham Hotspur. How will it be explained?

An auspicious start to life after Antonio Conte has revitalized the north London club and hinted that success could be on the cards, with Postecoglou winning the Premier League Manager of the Month award to kick off his English career.

Injuries, setbacks and a poor drop in form have dragged Spurs down to fifth place with a game to play, but when they travel to relegated Sheffield United, Tottenham need just one point to hold off Chelsea, who are three points behind and host Bournemouth. .

Postecoglou will be confident that his team can finish the campaign on a high but will do so while taking care of a number of injuries. Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Timo Werner and Destiny Udogie have been left out, while other young players have also been ruled out.

However, Postecoglou could use two changes from the team that lost to the champions-elect on Tuesday evening.

1

GK – Guglielmo Vicario

Guglielmo Vicario has been one of the most consistent players in the Tottenham team this season but he could not stop Erling Haaland from scoring two goals in the last minute, he was disturbed after a wonderful early save.

However, the Italian has not missed a single minute in the Premier League this season and holds the one position the Lilywhites should not worry about in the market this summer.

2

RB – Pedro Porro

Despite a few setbacks, Pedro Porro has been impressive under Postecoglou and will be in contention for the club's best player award. Unchanged, he is likely to make his 35th appearance at Bramall Lane.

3

CB – Cristian Romero

One of the most aggressive, tough and feared defenders in the Premier League, Cristian Romero has been huge this season (and red cards).

Argentina's 2022 World Cup winner is sure to be on the top-flight shopping list this summer but Spurs will fight hard to make sure he is below N17 come September.

4

CB – Radu Dragusin

Radu Dragusin enjoyed an impressive performance against Manchester City, dispossessing Haaland early on and was rated 8/10 by football.london's Alasdair Gold.

He has been used a lot since signing from Genoa for £27m in January but with Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies out injured, he got a chance to show his skills at the end of the season.

5

LB – Micky van de Ven

After cutting his teeth as a full-back with FC Volendam in the Netherlands as a teenager, Micky van de Ven defended Tottenham's left-backs in an impressive, exciting and dominant manner in four duels during the recent defeat.

The 23-year-old's qualities are best used in defense but his ability to impress and keep slipping into a temporary role speaks volumes for his ability.

6

CM – Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur cut an upset figure after being subbed off after 55 minutes against the Premier League's leading side. But he has caught the eye of City and will be hoping to finish the season on a high after taking his anger out on a defenseless bench.

The Uruguayan has endured a long period of frustration after spending most of 2023 injured and unable to recapture his one-time form.

But with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's erratic display leaving much to be desired, Denmark's “monster” – as once praised by countryman Morten Bisgaard – must be benched and Bentancur given the keys as a midfielder.

7

CM – Pape Matar Sarr

Pape Matar Sarr played more forward than usual against City but will likely return to a deeper, more familiar position against the Blades.

An extremely talented but unheralded midfielder, the 21-year-old Sarr ranked in the top 19% of players in Europe's top five leagues last year in goals and assists, top 20% in pass completion, top 15. % of assists and a high of 17% of interceptions in 90, according to FBref.

8

RW – Dejan Kulusevski

Tottenham enjoyed the best and worst of Dejan Kulusevski's qualities in 2023/24, who, after a good start to the season, lost his footing and has started 11 of the last 16 games.

The Swede had just one goal and one assist in 2024 but came off the bench earlier in the week, causing 'a lot of problems for City' – as Gold put it.

9

AM – James Maddison

James Maddison has started to find his feet again after struggling to replicate his pre-injury form in recent months, and must now prove to Gareth Southgate that he is fit and firing ahead of this summer's European Championship.

According to Sofascore, the 27-year-old completed 90% of his passes, made four key passes, succeeded with one dribble and won eight of his eight duels in the defeat to Manchester City.

The same, please.

10

LW – Brennan Johnson

With Kulusevski likely to return to the starting line-up, Brennan Johnson completed his jump-start to his first year as a Lilywhite, with the Welshman at left-back.

He got help in his last spell on that side of the frontline at Anfield and will cause plenty of problems for the beleaguered Blades.

11

CF – Heung-min Son

Heung-min Son hasn't been in great form recently and this may have come to light when the often erratic finisher made a great chance to restore balance to Pep Guardiola's side.

Of course, Tottenham fans will be watching the one with eyes on both sides given that he overcame Arsenal's chances to enter the final day in the driving seat of the title chase.

But when we face Sheffield United, with all that hectic drama gone, Son should return to form and finish the campaign with a bang.

Full Spurs vs Sheff Utd predicted lineup: (GK) Guglielmo Vicario; (RB) Pedro Porro, (CB) Cristian Romero, (CB) Radu Dragusin, (LB) Micky van de Ven; (CM) Rodrigo Bentancur, (CM) Pape Matar Sarr; (RW) Dejan Kulusevski, (AM) James Maddison, (LW) Brennan Johnson; (CF) Heung-min Son