Tottenham vs. Sheffield United: Issues That Will Shape Capital One Cup Game
Two matches from Wembley, two matches from possible glory. The most important factor in Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United's Capital One Cup semi-final might be their status of being two divisions apart.
If, on paper, Wednesday's first-leg at White Hart Lane should be a comfortable win for Premier League Tottenham, the cup form of League One outfit United suggests otherwise. They beat Southampton to get to this stage, and earlier this month, also impressively dumped another top-flight side in Queens Park Rangers out of the FA Cup.
With experience of a run to the FA Cup semi-final last season too, Nigel Clough's men will fancy their chances of causing another upset. Read on for the issues and decisions set to shape this battle of wills.
Tottenham's Plan of Attack
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The issue of who should start in the Tottenham attack has been a regular point of debate throughout the season. Even if Harry Kane is just about a nailed-on starter there these days, games like last Saturday's win over Sunderland have still thrown up things to think about.
A reward for his work in the cup win over Burnley, Roberto Soldado started that home victory deployed a little further ahead of the in-form Kane. The Spaniard played decently enough, but he was still replaced by Emmanuel Adebayor on the hour as Spurs searched for a winner.
Ah, Adebayor, there is a man whose time at White Hart Lane has rarely been anything but complicated. It was his first appearance since November and he produced a bright, if not quite directly tangible, contribution to Spurs' eventual winning effort.
Sheffield United could be the ideal opponent for Adebayor to get back in the swing of things with a first start in over two months. Or perhaps a lower-league defence will help Soldado find his scoring range again. Perhaps head coach Mauricio Pochettino will use both together.
It partly depends on how much rotation Pochettino believes he can accommodate without risking Spurs' chances of success. It also says a lot about how things have changed that the notion of starting either Adebayor and/or Soldado ahead of Kane raises doubts over the team's potency up front.
Squad Players Looking to Sustain Burgeoning Form
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Tottenham's team news had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
Both PremierInjuries.com and PhysioRoom.com had central defenders Vlad Chiriches, Federico Fazio and Younes Kaboul in contention after various recent ailments. Erik Lamela and Ryan Mason were noted as being a few days away from availability yet.
(EDIT: Tottenham's official website has since confirmed Kaboul and Mason's availability, while also revealed Nacer Chadli is unavailable because of a family bereavement).
A couple in particular to watch, should they play, will be Paulinho and Andros Townsend.
Each have enjoyed positive starts to 2015. They played a part in league wins over Chelsea and Sunderland, while they were also key in the turnaround against Burnley in last week's FA Cup replay.
Should they start against Sheffield United this week, it will be another chance for the two to underline their importance to the Spurs cause.
There has been a renewed urgency about Paulinho's recent work.
Wednesday's opponents are a far cry from the opposition the Brazilian faced during last summer's World Cup. Given the late stage of the competition, it is still a big fixture in which he can demonstrate his ability to shape games for his team. With the competition for places in the Spurs midfield right now, it would be a good time to show it.
Out wide, Townsend is beginning to find a rhythm to his play which had been lacking in a previously up-and-down campaign.
On his day, the 23-year-old's speed, dribbling and final-third daring make him as effective a weapon as there is in the Spurs squad. Reiterating it in such a sizable game for his team could prompt Pochettino into utilising him more frequently.
Expectations
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The past couple of months have underlined Pochettino's belief in the merits of rotation. Consistency has been kept in key places for the most part—notably in goal, central defence, and in the selection of standout performers like Kane and Christian Eriksen. But elsewhere he has mixed things up with an eye on maintaining freshness in his squad.
There are some particularly intriguing choices for the Argentinian this week, though. He will almost certainly look to rest some of his players, either for the United game or Leicester City in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend.
The Blades, rather than the top-flight Foxes, would be the more obvious choice for handing a chance to players not so locked into the throes of good form (Adebayor or Soldado, for instance).
The reality does not always work like that, though. Nigel Clough's side have shown an aptitude for big occasions which makes it imperative Spurs do not underestimate them.
With this in mind, if Pochettino is to favour either game, you suspect it would be Wednesday's, what with the chance to establish a first-leg lead that could set them up nicely to seal a date at Wembley.
Ideally, the Spurs boss will hope his squad has enough to win both.
Can the Blades Sharpen Up for the Cup Again?
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The accompaniment to Sheffield United's eye-catching cup giant-killings has been their decidedly mixed league form.
The Blades are seventh in League One, only out of the play-off places on goal difference. Their 2-1 win over promotion rivals Preston North End a fortnight ago highlighted their ability to compete with just about anyone in the division. Last Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons showed the flip-side.
Speaking to his club's official website, Clough rued his side's failure to beat the third-placed Dons.
"At the other end they have opened us up once and punished us, but it is incredible how we have lost both league games against them given they have only created three chances in the two matches," said Clough.
Given the Preston result was their only league win since mid-November, United's failure to kill off matches will be of concern to Clough.
The semi-final with Spurs is a match apart in the respect that the Yorkshire side will not be favoured to win, and therefore can play with a little less pressure. Their defeat of Southampton in the quarter-final proved it is not just the Premier League's struggling sides they are capable of picking off either.
Among others, former Everton attacking-midfielder Jose Baxter and the much-travelled Jamal Campbell-Ryce will be the players Spurs must prepare for. The latter is actually a Tottenham fan, too.
"They are full of international players and we know we will have to play well to pick up a positive result," Campbell-Ryce told the Ham & High's Rob Brennan. "If we can do that and we can go back to Bramall Lane with something to hold on to, then I’m sure the ground will be sold out and the fans are brilliant."
Clough will hope his team can continue to be consistent in the cups, even if they have not been in League One.
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