Tottenham vs. Newcastle: Issues and Decisions that Will Shape Cup Game

A place in the Capital One Cup semi-final is at stake on Wednesday night when Tottenham Hotspur host Newcastle United.

Newcastle beat Tottenham 2-1 when they visited White Hart Lane in October. Goals from Sammy Ameobi and Ayoze Perez earned them the three points after the north Londoners had taken an 18th-minute lead through Emmanuel Adebayor.

It was a closely fought contest that time. Given that a point separates the sides in the top half of the Premier League table, this week's game could follow suit.

Read on for the issues and decisions set to shape this cup game.

Getting Back to Basics in Defence

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Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud twice had the freedom of the Newcastle box on Saturday.

It was not a surprise to see Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor at the heart of Newcastle's 2-1 defeat of Chelsea a fortnight ago. The experienced centre-back pair had played a big part in the Magpies' mid-autumn resurgence, providing a solid base in notable wins over Leicester City, Tottenham and Liverpool.

Fitness issues denied manager Alan Pardew the chance to field them in subsequent games. Once they were back together for the Blues, their positional discipline and eagerness to battle with similarly competitive players like Diego Costa helped keep Chelsea out.

Taylor's late sending-off was not severely punished at St. James' Park that weekend, but it would prove costly a week later. While he was subsequently suspended for the trip to Arsenal, Newcastle missed the 28-year-old's presence and his understanding with Coloccini.

His replacement, Mike Williamson, has played with the Argentinian before and often done well. But they were a few weeks removed from their last game together, and Arsenal seized on the disconnect between the pair and the defence as a whole in Saturday's 4-1 win.

Caught ball-watching, none of them picked up Olivier Giroud's run from deep to head in the Gunners' opener. Defensive midfielder Cheick Tiote would have been able to check the Frenchman's run had he been alert. Still, the Newcastle defence's failure to pay proper attention was just as culpable.

Problematically for Pardew, his team did not learn from it. Giroud's second saw him again go unmarked—this time with Williamson directly responsible.

The striker initially got ahead of him, but the centre-back caught up as they entered the area. Rather than continue to track Giroud, though, Williamson let him go in an ill-advised attempt to play him offside. Instead, he was left alone to tuck away Arsenal's third.

With Taylor available after suspension, Pardew has to decide whether to reunite him with Coloccini or stick with the centre-back pair from Arsenal and hope they get things right at Spurs.

What Impact Will Swansea Win Have on Pochettino's Selections?

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Christian Eriksen started in left midfield for Spurs on Sunday but was occupying a more central position by the time of his winner.

Tottenham recorded a valuable three points away at Swansea City on Sunday. It leaves them in a better state for their quarter-final this week than at the same stage a year ago.

Back then, they were reeling from the departure of boss Andre Villas-Boas following a 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool. They probably should have beaten West Ham United, but they ended up on the receiving end of demoralising, late smash-and-grab.

Beyond looking to make the most of the confidence boost, it will be intriguing to see what else head coach Mauricio Pochettino takes away from Swansea.

This writer argued post-match for match-winner Christian Eriksen to be switched back to a more central role after his recent deployment out in left midfield. If Pochettino agrees (and plans to start the Dane anyway), it would necessitate some tweaking elsewhere in the side.

Benjamin Stambouli may be one player to benefit from any alterations. The central midfielder made a telling late cameo that saw him help force the Swans back into their own half.

After the Spurs defence's ill-advised loose work marking Wilfried Bony, it also now has to be considered how they will deal with either Perez or Papiss Cisse (or both). The Spanish attacker was a nuisance for Jan Vertonghen and others the last time they met.

Continuing to Balance Resources

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Will Harry Kane lead the Tottenham attack against Newcastle?

The other part of Pochettino's strategic and selection dilemmas and choices is how he balances his resources in the midst of the busy Christmas and New Year's period.

Tottenham have played two games already in the last seven days (Besiktas in the Europa League preceded Swansea). On Saturday, they face Burnley at the Lane.

The chance to reach the Capital One Cup semi-final is unlikely to be passed up by Spurs. Nonetheless, Pochettino might still have to make one or two concessions to keep his squad fresh with several games coming up in the next few weeks.

Newcastle have played less football than Spurs but have had it far rougher with injuries and suspensions of late.

Tim Krul, Gabriel Obertan, Siem de Jong and Ryan Taylor are among those still on the sidelines for the north-east club.

Daryl Janmaat misses Spurs through suspension. However, Taylor and Moussa Sissoko are back from their discipline-related absences.

Strained as his squad is right now, it would be a big surprise if Pardew did not treat this week's game seriously.

Will Newcastle Be Ready to Take Their Cup Chance?

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A win over Tottenham would take Pardew's side to within a couple of games of Wembley.

As detailed by the Newcastle Chronicle's Andrew Fowler, Newcastle's relationship with the League Cup has not been a good one. They have not reached the competition's last four since losing the 1976 final to Manchester City.

It is a part of a torrid recent history when it comes to silverware. Save for second-tier title successes, the Toon have not won a major trophy since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (essentially an earlier version of the UEFA Cup).

Newcastle fans do not need reminding of all this. But it is pertinent in that, so long as the wait continues to cast a shadow over the club, it will inform the manager-in-charge's approach to rectifying it.

Pardew has not always approached cup games as seriously as he might have in seasons past. Premier League form has often been a more pressing concern for him. Perhaps understandably so in trickier points of his Newcastle reign (like a couple of seasons ago when they were stuck in the bottom half of the league).

With his team in a relatively healthy state and a notable win in the previous round over holders Man City to point too, though, this is an opportunity Newcastle must try and make the most of.

Spurs will be a challenge, but they know they have beaten them already this season. It is too early to start thinking of a date at Wembley yet, but with the possibility so close, Pardew must ensure his team is ready for this one.