Should Mauricio Pochettino start Harry Winks against Liverpool?

Harry Winks is nothing short of a prodigious talent at Tottenham Hotspur. He might be just 22 but don’t let that fool you. After all, we are talking about a youngster who bossed the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric during Tottenham’s Champions League group stage clashes against Real Madrid last season.

Everything was set for the youngster to take the country by storm but unfortunately, he succumbed to a terrible injury which sidelined him for the rest of the term.

After a lot of therapy and hard work, he has inched his way back to fitness. In fact, the £25,000-a-week midfielder even made a couple of substitute appearances in Spurs’ last few games.

The ongoing international break should provide him with enough time to acclimatize himself back into the team. As far as Tottenham are concerned, they splendid start to the season came to a severe halt at Vicarage Road last weekend as Watford beat them 2-1.

Up next, they have a nail-biting clash against Merseyside giants Liverpool. It will be a big game for sure and one that could decide the fortunes of these two teams to a great extent.

The Reds are currently at the top of the Premier League table and it will be interesting to see who trumps whom on September 15th. It will certainly be a match scripted by the footballing gods but in such a fiery debacle, should Harry Winks receive his first start of the season?

More than Liverpool’s attack or defence, a lot has been said about their midfield this season. Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson have been firing on all cylinders while Fabinho is yet to make a mark in the Premier League.

But the strength and quality of their midfield department could spell trouble for Tottenham – particularly since their current crop of midfielders have not been in great form so far.

Mousa Dembele is one Mauricio Pochettino’s trusted players in the middle of the park while Eric Dier is reliable enough to quietly do the defensive work. But in Winks, Pochettino has a player who can contribute equally to both halves, despite being a traditional deep-lying midfielder.

Furthermore, Winks’ passing skills are quite incredible, meaning he could make all the difference for the North Londoners in the midfield.

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Now, deploying him in such an important match after a lengthy period on the sidelines will be a major gamble. But if Pochettino and Winks play their cards right, Liverpool might not know what hit them.