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As a consequence of Dele's removal, the need for a no.10 has diminished; Mourinho is free to devise a new approach according to the qualities of his most important players with Bale, Reguilon and Kane set to be integral, and he's decided on 4-3-3.
Without Dele occupying the space between Spurs' midfield and attack, Kane is now able to drift and wander into deeper areas to link with others and showcase his passing range rather than being restricted to the penalty box.
Such roaming is unlikely to cause structural problems because - theoretically -
Son Heung-min and Bale should drift towards the middle and stretch defences by actively darting in behind.
Kane can drift into midfield without Dele which permits Mourinho's wide forwards to come inside and threaten in behind
From the perspective of an opposing centre-back,
do you follow Kane into midfield and allow a channel to open up for Son or Bale to run into, or do you allow Kane to stray despite knowing that he's dangerous when presented with time and space?
That double-edged sword is going to be difficult for opponents to handle, and
Reguilon looks set to pose the same offensive threat from the left that Aurier poses from the right while the central midfield trident - including another summer purchase in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - focus on primarily remaining behind the ball.
Reguilon supports his teammates in the final third while Mourinho's central midfielders stay behind the ball
Tanguy Ndombele - who is another fairly recent arrival - is also benefiting from the new shape; he had previously failed to convince Mourinho that he was contributing enough as part of a midfield two but as part of a trio,
the Frenchman is afforded greater protection and assistance from those around him.
Bale is yet to truly play a part as he continues to return to full fitness - with Steven Bergwijn deployed against West Ham - but it's reasonable to suggest that he'll be a regular starter before too long.
Overall, Spurs' structure is more harmonious with Dele out of the picture; Kane can act as a more prominent figure, Son and Bale can both play high and on the inside, and Reguilon, Hojbjerg and Ndombele can dedicate their energy to what they do best as individuals.
Mourinho has found balance, and with only five Premier League matches played this season and each rival club encountering major problems of their own, the three-time champion might silently believe that he's got an outside chance of reclaiming his crown.
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