Antonio Conte has plenty of big decisions to make ahead of Tottenham's north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
The derby at the Emirates Stadium is the weekend's early kick-off and the encounter will decide who ends Saturday on top of the Premier League table. Arsenal currently sit at the summit with Spurs a point behind in third but with an unbeaten record so far in the competition this season and having scored more goals than any side other than second-placed Manchester City.
The international break will throw up its usual complications with knocks and late returning players and on top of that Conte will have plenty of selection decisions to make when it comes to his stronger squad ahead of the clash with Mikel Arteta's side. Here are the five main calls the Tottenham boss has to make before Saturday's kick-off.
READ MORE: Unexpected Mali decision is mixed blessing for Yves Bissouma and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte
Is it time for a midfield three?
Conte has frequently said that he believes a 3-4-3 formation best suits the players Tottenham have and it also allows him to fit in three attacking players. However, the Italian's side have struggled on occasions when they've come up against opponents playing with three in the midfield and some opposition managers like Wolves' Bruno Lage have even commented about knowing that's the best tactic against them.
Arteta's side play with three in the middle and Conte must decide whether it's time to match up in the centre of the pitch, particularly after Spurs looked bright with Yves Bissouma joining Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur for the final 25 minutes against Leicester before the international break.
Spurs need to ensure they are not dominated at the Emirates and instead need to quieten the crowd themselves. Having more control in the midfield might just do that.
Who plays at right wing-back?
Conte changed things up against Leicester with Ivan Perisic switched to the right-hand side and Ryan Sessegnon taking his place on the left. It worked well in the early moments of the game but not well enough over the course of the encounter to look like it might usurp Emerson Royal on a permanent basis.
The Brazilian's attacking ability is limited but he does provide more solidity in his defending and that will be tempting for Conte away against the Gunners. Matt Doherty and Djed Spence are below Emerson in the pecking order right now.
The other option, if Conte did lean towards a midfield three, would be to play Dejan Kulusevski in the right wing-back role as having the extra midfielder would mean one of them could step back at times to allow the back three to spread out to the flanks to cover and help the more attacking Swede.
The Richarlison question
Conte is a big fan of Richarlison and has found a way to get him into his past four starting line-ups. The Brazilian's battling tendencies are also well suited to a North London Derby and he scored the only time he faced Arsenal last season, in Everton's 2-1 home victory against Arteta's team in December.
Son had his turn on the bench against Leicester and came off of it to net a wonderful hat-trick and has since added two more goals on international duty. Conte is not likely to leave out the South Korean star again with his confidence renewed and Son has also netted five goals and laid on five assists in his 16 matches against the Gunners over the years.
Harry Kane, with 13 goals in 17 games in this derby, is not being rotated out of the team so that leaves Richarlison and Kulusevski to fight it out for the final position if Conte goes with a 3-4-3. The Swede is the more creative of the two players and after being left on the bench for three Spurs games before his return and assist against Leicester, followed by another excellent assist for Sweden, it would be a tough call to put him back among the substitutes.
Davies or Lenglet?
This will be a call Conte has to make if Ben Davies returns ahead of time from a hairline fracture just below his knee in time for the derby. The Welshman was set to be out for around three weeks after suffering the injury during the defeat in Lisbon this month.
If he's pushing just ahead of schedule then the Spurs head coach will have to decide whether to go with Davies' experience of this fixture or to stick with summer signing Clement Lenglet. The Frenchman, on loan from Barcelona, has plenty of experience of big matches but the fast and furious nature of the North London Derby will be something new for him.
However, Conte will have been able to work with Lenglet, who was not in the France squad, this week on what he wants from him in the game which may give him the better preparation.
Make calls on late international returners and injuries
The international break always seems to throw a spanner in the works when it comes to preparing for the next fixture, whether it's through late arrivals or knocks picked up on duty for their country. When it comes to injuries, Spurs have been keeping quiet about captain Hugo Lloris and the 'small right thigh injury' found by French medics when he arrived at Clairefontaine last week.
Conte will provide an update on the goalkeeper's fitness during his press conference on Thursday and report on any new problems suffered during the international break.
The Italian will also have to make a decision on those players returning to Hotspur Way later than others. Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez both play in the early hours of the morning, UK time, on Wednesday and they have to travel back from the USA which means they may not be back in training until Thursday. That both players are in contention for the one position does make Conte's decision a more straight forward one ahead of the big game.
READ NEXT:
- Antonio Conte's contract situation with Tottenham explained and how it affects Juventus links
Fabio Paratici appoints ex-Real Madrid scout as Spurs' new-look backroom structure takes shape
- Destiny Udogie surprise, Winks uncertainty, Rodon shines, Ndombele goal - Tottenham loan latest
- What happened when the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium paid tribute to the Queen and new King
- The Tottenham line-up and formation Antonio Conte must use to beat Arsenal in North London Derby
