Hi there. I appreciate this some may regard this as a slightly lunatic idea, but I've been thinking that we should try dembele at left back when rose can't play. (That danny rose is currently one of our more important players is insane, but that's a thread for another day)
This idea is posited on:
1) The way we're set up to play at the moment (and indeed have bought a whole squad to play) is based on wide midfielders cutting inside. You can argue the merits of this, but the fact is we'll almost certaintly be playing like this for the rest of the season and beyond. When playing this way, a lot of the width in our play has to be provided by full backs, basically by definition. If they don't provide that width, then our play is that much narrower and we are that much easier to defend against. For examples, see basically every game this season
2) There are good reasons to think Dembele could be a good left back. Defensively he's big, strong and quick, and good in the tackle. His defensive qualities will obviously be tested in different ways than as a deep lying centre mid, but he certaintly won't be bullied by anyone. He's already played out wide (albeit as a winger) for a good chunk of his career. Offensively, he can glide past people like a particularly graceful swan, and the one time I can remember him playing as a winger for us (against Liverpool last year) he absolutely bossed it. His main deficiencies appear to be his vision and range of passing, but that should be somewhat less of an issue as a full back compared to centre mid as his options will be more restricted
3) Once Capoue comes back, we have a truckload of good central midfielders. However our left backs currently conist of Danny Rose, who has a seemingly never ending injury and is ok but not exactly amazing. I love Jan as much as the next Spurs fan, but he's not a natural left back and will never provide the width we need. Naughton isn't even left footed, and isn't a particularly good left back
I reckon it's worth a try
This idea is posited on:
1) The way we're set up to play at the moment (and indeed have bought a whole squad to play) is based on wide midfielders cutting inside. You can argue the merits of this, but the fact is we'll almost certaintly be playing like this for the rest of the season and beyond. When playing this way, a lot of the width in our play has to be provided by full backs, basically by definition. If they don't provide that width, then our play is that much narrower and we are that much easier to defend against. For examples, see basically every game this season
2) There are good reasons to think Dembele could be a good left back. Defensively he's big, strong and quick, and good in the tackle. His defensive qualities will obviously be tested in different ways than as a deep lying centre mid, but he certaintly won't be bullied by anyone. He's already played out wide (albeit as a winger) for a good chunk of his career. Offensively, he can glide past people like a particularly graceful swan, and the one time I can remember him playing as a winger for us (against Liverpool last year) he absolutely bossed it. His main deficiencies appear to be his vision and range of passing, but that should be somewhat less of an issue as a full back compared to centre mid as his options will be more restricted
3) Once Capoue comes back, we have a truckload of good central midfielders. However our left backs currently conist of Danny Rose, who has a seemingly never ending injury and is ok but not exactly amazing. I love Jan as much as the next Spurs fan, but he's not a natural left back and will never provide the width we need. Naughton isn't even left footed, and isn't a particularly good left back
I reckon it's worth a try
