When Tottenham thrashed Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad back in November, neither Archie Gray nor Lucas Bergvall had ever been named in the XI for a Premier League fixture, while Djed Spence was still waiting for his first Spurs start more than two years after joining the club.
Fast-forward to Wednesday’s reverse fixture in north London and all three players are now key members of Ange Postecoglou’s squad, supporting the head coach’s repeated claims that Spurs would benefit over the long-term from their bleak mid-winter injury crisis.
With the club’s injury list finally clearing over the past fortnight, and Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel arriving on loan in late January, Postecoglou is starting to be faced with some major selection headaches for the first time in months.
Here, Standard Sport looks at three selection decisions for Postecoglou against City and beyond…
Which full-backs to play?
Spence actually featured at the Etihad, albeit as a 90th-minute replacement for Destiny Udogie, who appeared to have taken a knock.
It was Spence’s first appearance in more than two months and it would be another three weeks before he was handed his long-awaited first Spurs start at Southampton in mid-December.
There is a case that Djed Spence is undroppable after a series of outstanding displays
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Today, there is a case that Spence is undroppable after a series of outstanding displays at right- and left-back, but it will be interesting to see how Postecoglou uses the 24-year-old, Udogie and Pedro Porro over the remainder of the campaign.
Spence’s ability to play both sides means Postecoglou can rotate between them, and it will likely be Porro and Spence against City because Udogie made his first appearance in more than six weeks in the win over Ipswich on Saturday.
Neither Porro nor Udogie have ever faced serious competition for their place under Postecoglou but if the Europa League Final was tomorrow and all three full-backs were fully fit, Spence would have a compelling case to start ahead of one of them.
Use Johnson from the start or the bench?
Brennan Johnson offered a powerful reminder of what Spurs have been missing during his recent absence with a calf problem on his return to the XI against Ipswich, twice scoring in the first half-hour with trademark finishes at the far post from Heung-min Son crosses.
It would be a biggish call to drop Johnson to the bench after such a decisive display, particularly as he has already scored with a signature finish against City this season, popping up at the back stick to meet Timo Werner’s cross and make it 4-0 at the Etihad.
Postecoglou must weigh up whether to start Dejan Kulusevski or Brennan Johnson on the right
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But he was a substitute that day and may well return to the bench on Wednesday night, allowing James Maddison to come into the midfield and Dejan Kulusevski to start on the right of the front three.
Kulusevski has tended to excel against City in a more advanced role, while Postecoglou may also reason that Johnson is so often a valuable substitute, particularly when Spurs are attacking their single-tier South Stand in the second half of matches.
Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma started in midfield with Maddison at the Etihad, their energy helping Spurs to overrun City after the visitors had survived an initial onslaught.
On Wednesday, both Sarr and Bissouma are fit and available but there is every chance that neither will start, reflecting the competition for places in Postecoglou’s midfield.
At just 19, Bergvall is establishing himself as a key player for Spurs and feels hard to drop after another eye-catching display against Ipswich at the weekend, while Rodrigo Bentancur, who was suspended back in November, has seemingly moved ahead of Bissouma as Postecoglou’s senior midfield option.
Lucas Bergvall is establishing himself as a key player for Spurs
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While the pair could easily keep their places on Wednesday, it would not be a huge surprise if either Sarr or Bissouma came in to add freshness to the side.
In time, when Spurs centre-half crisis has eased, Gray will also become an option in the middle the park, although he will be needed at the back until one of Ben Davies, Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven is fit again.