Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has indicated that Tottenham Hotspur are likely to play on the counter-attack against his former side RB Leipzig, even when playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Jose Mourinho has been forced to deal with an injury crisis up front after Heung-Min Son was ruled out of action due to a fractured elbow.
With no senior striker in the squad, Lucas Moura is expected to start up front for Spurs when they host Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie tonight at home.
And Hasenhuttl believes Mourinho is most likely to emphasise playing on the counter attack due to Moura’s pace, rather than focusing on having possession of the ball at home.
The former Leipzig coach told German daily Bild: “With Lucas Moura, Tottenham become extremely dangerous, especially in transitions.
“[I think] because of the loss of Harry Kane, they are more focused on counter-attack than dominating possession.”
Another reason he expects Tottenham to defend deep and depend on counter-attacks is that they do not have defenders with pace to burn and therefore they are unlikely to play a high line.
“Their defence has problems when it comes to defending in a high line.
“Some of the players lack pace and that is why expect them to defend more deeply even at home and wait for a counter-attack.”
Mourinho has urged the Spurs fans to back their side as they deal with an injury crisis.
