Seven goals, a Fernando Llorente hat-trick, VAR controversies and all of it played out in driving snow – Spurs’ progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals proves to be a busy affair.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino made nine changes to the side that squeaked past Crystal Palace on Sunday.
And the rather more comfortable 6-1 replay win over Rochdale finally confirmed what we had all been expecting – Spurs’ Gameweek 31 fixture with Newcastle will have to be rescheduled.
Pochettino’s selections also gave us a few pointers as to the likely make-up of the side who will entertain Huddersfield in on Saturday.
Only Eric Dier and Erik Lamela kept their places from the weekend, while the big guns – Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen – dropped to the bench and the team’s most popular defender in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the 20.7%-owned Ben Davies, had the night off.
All four should slot back into the weekend team, although the small matter of a Champions League Round of 16 second leg with Juventus to follow on Wednesday means rotation could still be an issue.
One player almost certain to start at the weekend will be right-back Serge Aurier as he is suspended for the Champions League fixture.
Kieran Trippier played the full 90 minutes last night and his 5.2% ownership will be resigned to him putting in the same shift against Juventus, not Huddersfield.
Investment in Spurs defenders has been a solid source of points recently – they’ve kept three clean sheets in the last four Gameweeks and five in eight – but that efficiency will be tested by the possible absence of both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
The Belgian pair are injured and missed last night’s tie, while Davinson Sanchez stayed on the bench. Alderweireld is expected to miss the next two matches.
Spurs thought they’d taken the lead against Rochdale when the ball found its way to Erik Lamela and he made no mistake from close range.
But after a less than brief VAR consultation, Llorente was adjudged to have fouled a defender in the build-up and the goal was chalked off.
It was definitely 1-0 soon afterwards when the lively Son Heung-min took Lamela’s pass, found some space and curled home his shot – a welcome sight for the 11.7% of FPL managers who have stuck by him through five straight blanks in the league.
The South Korean then had a chance to double his tally from the penalty spot when VAR ruled that Trippier had been fouled in the area.
But Son illegally stopped during his run-up, the spot-kick was disallowed and the midfielder booked.
He did go on to score again and set up Llorente’s hat-trick header after the break before being replaced by Alli on 67 minutes. Added to the fact that he played just 10 minutes as a sub at Selhurst Park, Son may well be set to retain his start against the Terriers.
He does, however, have increasing competition for the third attacking midfield spot.
Lamela started instead of Son on Sunday, and he produced both the assists for the South Korean’s goals last night, while Lucas Moura provided the same service for Llorente.
The Argentine went on to play the full 90 minutes, the Brazilian 82.
Over the last two, then, Son has played 77 minutes, Lamela 156 and Moura 106.
Spurs’ final goal on the night came when Alli combined with fellow substitute Kyle Walker-Peters for the young defender to score.
Mousa Dembele was also given a 30-minute run-out, while Kane and Eriksen remained wrapped up on the bench.
How things now stand
The victory ensures at least one double Gameweek to come for Spurs, with the prospect of a second should they see off Swansea City in the quarter-finals.
The FA Cup semi-finals take place over the weekend of April 21-22 during Gameweek 35, with Spurs currently due to travel to Brighton on the Friday night.
The full quarter-final draw is:
Saturday, March 17 – Swansea v Spurs and Man United v Brighton
Sunday, March 18 – Wigan v Southampton and Leicester City v Chelsea
If Pochettino’s side can see off Juventus, they will also have to factor in a Champions League quarter-final.
The first leg of that would come in early April, between trips to Chelsea and Stoke City, with the return following the Potters match and before a visit from Man City.
As a result, the Stoke clash, in Gameweek 33, would be the only obvious window for Pochettino to shuffle his pack.
Then again, even though Spurs’ two away goals mean they hold the advantage in their tie with Juventus, finishing the job against the Italian champions is in no way guaranteed.
What is certain is that their run-up to the blank Gameweek 31 is attractive (HUD bou), but their schedule afterwards is both tricky (che stk MCI) and likely to involve some serious fixture congestion.
