The Tottenham fans were absolutely ecstatic in the Transfer Tavern last night following a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Tottenham made a statement in this season’s European competition by comfortably dispatching of the current holders at Wembley. Madrid have lifted the Champions League 3 times in the last 4 seasons, but it was Spurs who looked like the dominant force in Europe during their clash last night. Pochetino’s side looked determined to make amends from the off, after a bitterly disappointing away defeat at Old Trafford on Saturday. Buoyed by the return of talisman Harry Kane, Tottenham took the game to Madrid and thoroughly deserved the 3 vital points that enabled them to qualify from Group H with two games to spare.
Although Spurs will now be targetting top spot in Group H, the final two games presents Pochetino with an opportunity to give some of the younger talents in his squad an experience of playing Champions League football.
The emergence of Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Harry Kane and Harry Winks at Spurs in recent seasons provide terrific examples of how unproven young talents can thrive within a top team and play a key role in its development.
Indeed, plenty of the Tottenham faithful propping up the bar here believe that the inclusion of young players has been the blueprint to Tottenham’s success under Pochetino.
Without the added pressure of requiring a positive result, Pochetino may be tempted to experiment in his next two fixtures in the Champions League and see what a handful of the youngsters have to offer the first-team.
Here are three players that should be in contention for first-team action within the coming weeks…
Kyle Walker-Peters
England U20 World Cup winner Kyle Walker-Peters who should not be mistaken for his namesake and Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker, has shown that he is more than capable of stepping up to the first-team at Spurs.
Walker-Peters played the full 90 minutes during Tottenham’s opening game of the Premier League season back in August, with a fine performance that earned him the man of the match award during a 0-2 victory for his side.
However, his opportunities have been non-existent since the signing of Serge Aurier shortly after his senior debut and he will have to be patient before he gets another chance in the first-team.
Competition is stiff for the right-back position with Aurier and Trippier also in contention, but an injury or suspension to either of them could present Walker-Peters with a run in the team as the season develops.
Georges Kevin N’Koudou
Georges Kevin N’Koudou has desperately struggled to break into the first-team since his £10 million transfer from Marseille last summer.
The problem for N’Koudou is that he is a wide player who can play on either side, however, Pochetino rarely opts to play with wingers so he is redundant in the tactical system at the club.
If N’Koudou wishes to break into the first-team he needs to work hard on the training ground to convince Pochetino to experiment with his formation, and also show that he is willing to adapt his position to their current style of play.
Tashan Oakley-Boothe
Tashan Oakley-Boothe is only 17 years of age but a first-team call-up may not be too far away.
The academy prospect who conventionally plays as a central midfielder has already had quite the season.
He made his first senior appearance for Tottenham when he came on as a substitute in the dying embers of their Caraboa Cup victory over Barnsley back in September, before heading to India to help the England u17 side lift the World Cup after a thrilling final against Spain.
Pochetino will have been monitoring Oakley-Boothe’s progress closely whilst on international duty, and his performances may have convinced him that he is ready for the step-up to first-team football.
