5 Tottenham Players to Watch During November International Break
The last international break of 2014 commences this week with several Tottenham Hotspur players on duty for their respective countries.
Both youth and senior players are involved in varying stages of qualifying, as well as the usual mix of friendly fixtures.
Over the following pages, we'll look at five Tottenham players to watch during the next fortnight.
First up, the Dane with something to prove.
Christian Eriksen
1 of 5
Denmark remain top of European Championships Group I after three games played. A 1-1 draw with Albania and 1-0 defeat to Portugal last month have left things a little tighter than they would have hoped heading into those fixtures.
Extra intrigue has been added to Friday's qualifying game with Serbia—and to a lesser extent next week's friendly with Romania, featuring Tottenham's Vlad Chiriches—by manager Morten Olsen's criticism of Christian Eriksen last month.
Speaking to reporters following the Portugal loss, Olsen laid a heavy portion of the blame for the results on Eriksen's young shoulders.
The playmaker agreed with the assessment, but it will nonetheless be intriguing to see how he responds to the extra pressure that has been placed on him.
It has been a tricky few weeks for Eriksen at Tottenham. National team duty right now might not quite be the break he has been previously used to.
Emmanuel Adebayor
2 of 5
Emmanuel Adebayor's criticism of Tottenham's home support following the club's loss to Stoke City has created plenty of headlines over the last couple of days:
"Tottenham are in crisis mode as Emmanuel Adebayor lashes out at fans and players turn on Levy: http://t.co/7pXSHDfrST pic.twitter.com/LvbYQDzCIm
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) November 11, 2014"
While the debate surrounding those words will not go away quickly, Adebayor will hope he can help create some more positive headlines for Togo this week. The country has a good opportunity to qualify for the African Cup of Nations with two games remaining in Group E.
Adebayor's team lie in second place, two points behind table-toppers Ghana, two points ahead of Uganda and Guinea.
Should they beat Guinea and Ghana defeat Uganda, Togo will go through with a game to spare. That last fixture, away at Ghana, would then decide who finishes first.
The group is still so close that if Togo drop points to Guinea—whom they lost to in September—there will be an exciting array of permutations surrounding the final fixture.
Adebayor, his country's record goalscorer, should be keen to ensure it does not come to that.
Federico Fazio
3 of 5
Federico Fazio has had a difficult time of things at Tottenham since his summer move from Sevilla. He has been sent off twice already, and when utilised in the league, he has inadvertently been the catalyst for confusion in his team's uncertain defence.
Given this struggle to build up some good form, the centre-back's selection in Gerardo Martino's Argentina squad for their games with Croatia and Portugal might seem a surprise—especially since Fazio has not represented his country since 2011.
The games taking place in England, at Upton Park and Old Trafford, are likely to have been big factors in his call-up then. Fazio is here, so why not take a look at him?
That probably sounds a bit too dismissive. It is not intended as such. Martino's experience managing in Spain, and his general Argentinian football knowledge, will have made him aware of Fazio.
Even if convenience is one of the factors in his inclusion, though, it is still a big chance for the 27-year-old to impress. Given that they are friendly games, he is likely to get some minutes on the pitch.
Spurs will hope the experience also serves as a confidence boost for when Fazio returns.
Erik Lamela is also in Argentina's squad.
Ben Davies
4 of 5
Ben Davies has had even less league football than Fazio, with the majority of his playing time coming in cup competition.
Though not yet a first-team regular at Tottenham, Davies is a prominent part of Chris Coleman's Wales team. Last month, he won the country's Young Player of the Year award:
"Wales' Men's and Women's Young Player of the Year 2014 Ben Davies and Angharad James. #TogetherStronger #FAWAwards pic.twitter.com/pZK0q84G8C
— FA Wales (@FAWales) October 6, 2014"
Wales are unbeaten in European Championships qualifying so far, topping Group B after two wins and a draw. Davies started out in Andorra and was again in the side as they held Bosnia-Herzegovina to a scoreless draw.
Rested for the win over Cyprus the last time out, he should be back to face Belgium.
Out in Brussels, it is Wales' toughest fixture of the group. The World Cup quarter-finalists are three points behind Wales, but have played one fewer game at this point.
Davies' priority will be helping Wales record a positive result, which would go a long way to helping reach their first major tournament since the 1976 European Championships.
With Spurs players Nacer Chadli, Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen in the Belgium squad, there will also be bragging rights at stake.
Harry Kane
5 of 5
England's under-21 side sealed their place at next summer's European Championships with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Croatia in last month's play-off.
Harry Kane netted his country's equaliser in the 2-1 home win at Molineux Stadium, and started out in Croatia too.
The upcoming friendly fixture with Portugal offers Gareth Southgate's team a chance to test themselves against a group opponent from next summer. France also follows next week.
For Kane, it is a chance to try and cement his place in his manager's Euro 2015 squad. Tottenham fans and Premier League observers intrigued by his recent club form will also be looking to see if the striker can carry on his recent good form.
Kane's first league start of the season against Stoke City did not turn out as he would have liked. Good showings for England would ensure that his momentum, at least individually, has not been affected too much.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
