Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season came to an end on Saturday as they went down 2-1 to league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side took the lead through Christian Eriksen, but goals from Pedro and Victor Moses secured Antonio Conte’s men their seventh successive league win to move them back to the summit of the division.

For Spurs, a frustrating week ended in further disappointment, having also been knocked out of the Champions League by Monaco on Tuesday.

It’s now just one win in seven league games for Pochettino’s side, who really need to get some wins under their belt before Christmas to keep pace with the top four teams.

Nonetheless, Spurs still sit fifth in the Premier League having won six of their opening 13 games, with a fine 2-0 victory over Manchester City indicative of their title credentials.

However, six draws have stunted their progress this season and, although they are clearly a tough side to beat, they could do with turning some of those draws into victories in the second half of the campaign.

With January fast approaching, Pochettino may already be considering who could come in and strengthen his Spurs squad so that they do keep pace with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool.

One area he could look at is his central midfield and, given that Pochettino sometimes plays a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-2-3-1, these positions are vital.

Thus, here is their dream central midfield combination, including one key January target…

CM – Victor Wanyama

It’s been an impressive start to his Tottenham career for midfielder Victor Wanyama, who joined from Southampton in the summer.

The Kenyan captain was brilliant for the Saints last season, and deservedly earned a big money move to White Hart Lane in the summer.

And, thus far, he has replicated his fine form at Spurs, appearing 18 times in all competitions for Pochettino’s side.

He has occasionally started ahead of Mousa Dembele, notably in their Champions League matches, and will be a regular feature in the side for the rest of this campaign and beyond.

CM – Mousa Dembele

Arguably, Tottenham play a lot better when Belgian international Mousa Dembele is in the team.

The 29-year-old is criminally underrated by several fans up and down the country, but what he does for the Spurs team helps them to keep many clean sheets, and also create numerous goal-scoring opportunities.

A box-to-box midfielder who has got everything needed to be a brilliant one, Dembele’s form will go some way to determining what Spurs achieve this season.

CM – Morgan Schneiderlin

It was a deal Pochettino tried to get done late on in the summer window, and it’s one he should try and complete again in January.

Morgan Schneiderlin appears to be the forgotten man at Manchester United, which is even more surprising given that manager Jose Mourinho has struggled to settle upon his best midfield combination.

Nonetheless, the former Southampton man has been restricted to just three starts in all competitions this season, none of which have been in the Premier League, and that’s a surprise for a player of his quality.

Further strengthening the Tottenham midfield should be something Pochettino looks at in January, and a move for Schneiderlin should certainly be one of his main priorities.