Ange’s side must win at West Ham to overtake Aston Villa in the top four.

Radu Dragusin competing for Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur turned it around once again on Saturday, defeating valiant Luton Town after the relegation-threatened side took an early lead down the N17.

It was a crucial victory for the fifth-placed side after Aston Villa, marginally ahead in the top four, defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers later that afternoon.

Brennan Johnson for Tottenham-2
Now, Ange Postecoglou’s team travel to east London to meet West Ham United in the Premier League, knowing that victory will hand them fourth spot once more before Villa make the daunting trip northward to clash against Manchester City.

Spurs team news
Radu Dragusin’s two-game starting streak will likely end this evening with Micky van de Ven in line to start, having pulled up with a minor hamstring injury against Villa before the international break.

Postecoglou will be thankful that his side have no new injury concerns but Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon and Fraser Forster remain long-term absentees.

Despite this, Tottenham played mere days ago and Postecoglou might be inclined to make a couple of alterations, with Yves Bissouma possibly set to move to the bench after a string of indifferent performances.

Spurs must ditch Yves Bissouma vs West Ham
Bissouma struggled last season after joining Tottenham from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal rising to £35m in June 2022, starting just ten times in the Premier League in a stuttering and injury-affected campaign.

A man reborn under new management – described as a “monster” by journalist Aaron Stokes – as Tottenham blazed into early-season form, Bissouma has lost his way a bit over the past several months and has yet to shake off an overaggressiveness that has created two separate red card suspensions, with a one-match ban after accumulating five yellow cards earlier in the season too.

Still, as per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 11% for successful take-ons, the top 5% for tackles and the top 7% for interceptions per 90, showcasing his elite passing ability and robustness in defensive efforts.

Yves Bissouma: Recent PL Player Ratings

Fixture

Result

Player Rating

Luton Town (H)

2-1 win

5/10

Fulham (A)

3-0 loss

3/10

Aston Villa (A)

4-0 win

7/10

Crystal Palace (H)

3-1 win

8/10

Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)

2-1 loss

5/10

Sourced via football.london

But there’s no denying that he has lapsed over the past few weeks. The player ratings above show Tottenham’s past five fixtures and the five matches Bissouma has started in the Premier League since his rash red card against Nottingham Forest before Christmas.

Rodrigo Bentancur, who has really suffered with injuries this season, has been fit for the past few months but has been restricted to substitute appearances across his past three league games. The Uruguayan is unquestionably one of the club’s most talented players but has indeed been unfortunate with setbacks – perhaps now is the time to provide him with a chance to return to the front of the squad’s midfield standings.

Rodrigo Bentancur warming up for Tottenham
With the energetic, effervescent Pape Matar Sarr, aged 21, raring for yet another start, Postecoglou might feel that the time is right to move Bissouma back to the bench after a series of inconsistent showings.