Premier League 2019/20: Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Bournemouth, 5 Talking Points

#3 Does Mourinho know his best midfield yet?

Did Tottenham miss the passing skills of Harry Winks today?

Last weekend’s win over West Ham appeared to suggest that Jose Mourinho would set Tottenham up with a three-man midfield; Harry Winks and Eric Dier sitting in front of the defence, with Dele Alli deployed further forward, just behind Harry Kane in his favoured role.

But while the system paid off in that game, Winks and Dier struggled against Olympiacos midweek.

Today’s match saw Winks replaced by Tanguy Ndombele, and while Tottenham performed better than they did against Olympiacos overall, questions still remain over exactly who should be in Mourinho’s best midfield. Alli is clearly performing well in the advanced role, but the deeper roles are up for grabs.

Both Dier and Ndombele – moreso the former – appeared to be wasteful in possession today, particularly in the first half, and that’s not a criticism that can ever be made of Winks. The England midfielder has averaged a pass success rate of 90.8% this season. Dier, on the other hand, only managed a 74% success rate today, while Ndombele fared better at 89%.

With that said, while Winks is clearly a better passer than both Dier and Ndombele, he doesn’t offer the screening ability of the former, nor the athletic ball-carrying skills of the latter. It’s a tough choice for Mourinho, who will probably need to rotate the trio around going forward, depending on Tottenham’s opposition.

🗣️ "At the beginning of the season we had a bet - who will score the most goals... It's 1-1!"Goalscorer @MoussaSissoko on his competition with @Serge_aurier.#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/8Fdyesy4b5

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 30, 2019