Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from last weekend's shock result when they return to action in the Premier League this afternoon.

Cristian Stellini's side were beaten 3-2 by relegation candidates AFC Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, thanks to an injury-time winner from Dennis Ouattara and things don't get any easier as they travel to the northeast to face Newcastle United, who are strong contenders to finish in the top four ahead of the Lilywhites.

And ahead of kick-off, the Italian interim has plenty to ponder in terms of team selection as he continues to suffer a whole host of injury problems, though he may well be able to welcome back Ben Davies to the fold following his recent absence.

His return could well pencil in a place on the bench for Ivan Perisic, who has been lacklustre since his free transfer from Inter Milan in the summer.

What's happened to Ivan Perisic?

Whether it's his age, fatigue, injury or a loss of confidence, the 34-year-old – who won the Serie A under Antonio Conte in 2020/21 – has been a shadow of himself in the left wing-back role or when needed further forward.

Perisic does lead the squad for assists in the Premier League this term (seven) but nearly half of these came in Tottenham's opening seven fixtures and whilst he can deliver a wonderful dead-ball delivery, it's not enough to cover for his faults elsewhere.

He is no longer the quick and tactile whippet that has helped Croatia finish second and third in the past two World Cup iterations and when up against the trickier, more pacey wingers in the English top-flight, he's often toast.

Indeed, seven other players offer more tackles per game than him – including January recruit Pedro Porro and attacking dynamo Dejan Kuluseveski – who is also another name in the firing line, given his similarly poor form.

The £180k-per-week star was particularly poor when Spurs were knocked out of the FA Cup by semi-finalists and lower league outfit Sheffield United, a game in which his 'world-class' quality should have shone through but instead, it led to football writer Andrew Gaffney to tout him as "one of the worst" signings in the last three or four years, also claiming him to be "so, so bad."

"His set-piece delivery has meant his stats look respectable to those who don't watch him every week," he added.

Similarly, The Athletic's James Maw suggested that he had been a "massive waste of money" despite costing nothing in terms of a transfer fee, which is a rather damning indictment to what Perisic has actually offered the team, aside from his undoubted quality from free-kicks and corners.

With Davies likely to be available, Perisic should join Kulusevski on the sidelines for this encounter. The prospect of Allan Saint-Maximin running riot against the ageing veteran is a scary thought and one that could see the dwindling Lilywhites on the receiving end of another disappointing result.

As such, Stellini must be ruthless in his pre-game decision-making and look to axe the Croatian from his starting XI this afternoon.