Jose Mourinho's decision to hand Steven Bergwijn a start against Manchester City has garnered the biggest reaction amongst some Tottenham Hotspur fans.
The Netherlands international, who scored in the corresponding fixture last season which also happened to be his Spurs debut following a transfer from PSV Eindhoven, makes only his second Premier League start of the campaign.
Bergwijn's inclusion in the Spurs XI means Gareth Bale is dropped.
That means Mourinho has made two changes to the side which started the 1-0 win over West Brom before the international break as Serge Aurier replaces Matt Doherty who is self-isolating after a positive Covid-19 test whilst representing the Republic of Ireland.
Bale dropping to the bench may have been regarded as somewhat of a surprise given he played in two of Wales' three fixtures during the international break.
Furthermore, he got a much-needed 90 minutes under his belt in the 1-0 win over Ireland and followed that up by playing for just over an hour on Wednesday night as the Dragons beat Finland 3-1.
However, Bale will have to wait for his first home start in the Premier League in his second spell at Tottenham.
Speaking ahead of kick-off, Mourinho explained that Bergwijn's freshness having not been called up for international duty is the key reason why he's been chosen ahead of Bale.
"Bale was in the national team, played 90 and 75, which for him, at this moment, is quite a lot," Mourinho told Sky Sports. "Bergwijn was with us, recovering, training and we think he’s fit to play.
"Of course, we have a lot of matches to play and Thursday is another day."
Meanwhile, Jamie Redknapp has speculated that Bergwijn's defensive prowess is the reason he gets the nod over Bale especially with Serge Aurier playing at right-back.
"He probably thinks Gareth is not quite at the level he wants now," Redknapp said. "Bergwijn scored that brilliant goal last year, that gives you a good feeling as a player when you’ve played against a side and you’ve scored against them and had that big moment.
"In terms of defending, he’s more diligent in his defending."
Tottenham have gone into the game knowing victory will see them leapfrog London rivals Chelsea and lead the Premier League table, albeit for 24 hours.
Bale is an option off the bench alongside the likes of Carlos Vinicius, Giovani Lo Celso, Lucas Moura, and international teammate Joe Rodon.
