Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has explained his team selection for the Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian capital on Wednesday.
Spurs travelled to Eastern Europe on a shaky run of form and a trip to the cauldron in Belgrade is not a welcome fixture, despite the 5-0 victory that the North London side enjoyed in the previous clash.
Following the draw at Goodison Park, Pochettino made two big decisions for the clash by bringing in Giovani Lo Celso in place of Christian Eriksen and keeping Son Heung-Min in the side.
Lo Celso's time on the field has been limited following his arrival in the summer but Pochettino explained how he believes he can push on to become a key asset for the coming months.
“We always try to find the best way to play in every single game. To rotate and to provide games to different players is very important,” he told BT Sport.
“Lo Celso is a player who got an injury in the beginning and he arrived very late in the transfer window so he didn’t have enough time to learn from the team and to be available more.
“I think now is the right moment for him to help the team and to show his quality. I think it’s important to have fresh legs today because it will be a tough game.”
Pochettino also explained how Son has recovered from his emotional state against Everton, where the South Korean ace was sent off following a horrific injury sustained by Andre Gomes.
“He moved on quickly. After travelling from Liverpool to London he started to feel better, he realised that it wasn’t his fault and I think the injury for Andre Gomes with the red card made it a lot of drama for him,”
“But he moved on quickly and now he’s in the perfect way to put in a big performance.”
