Claude Puel is becoming known for his rotation policy and he made another four changes to his starting XI to face Spurs. In the Premier League he has made 40 changes to his line-up from the match previous during this season. He is, however, way behind frequent fine-tuner Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, who has made 61.
There was confusion around Toby Alderweireld’s absence, with some Spurs fans accusing manager Mauricio Pochettino of lying about injuries on social media. Pochettino said the centre-back was struggling with a back injury after their last match against Burnley, only for it to be announced that the player had a virus before kick off.