Tottenham Hotspur’s poor start to the season got even worse on Sunday as they lost their third North London derby at home in a row for the first time since the late 1980s.
Ange Postecoglou has been able to get the Lilywhites to play exciting attacking football again after years of turgid football under the likes of José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte, but the pressure is starting to mount.
However, it’s not all on him, as some of his stars, such as James Maddison, failed to perform against the Gunners over the weekend.
The Englishman was anonymous against Mikel Arteta’s men, and with a League Cup game against Coventry City tonight, he should be dropped for one of the most exciting youngsters in Spurs’ squad who might be able to offer more of a spark.
Maddison's game vs Arsenal
Postecoglou opted to start Maddison in midfield for the weekend’s clash alongside Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
While he didn’t make a mistake that cost his side a goal or anything like that, he was utterly ineffective, which is almost as bad for a player whom the team rely on to make things happen.
In his post-match player ratings, football.london’s Alasdair Gold awarded the Englishman a paltry 5/10 for his efforts, writing that while he had some ‘bright moments’, he ‘ultimately didn’t take a grip on the game’ and worst of all ‘was barely noticeable in the second half.’
That might sound like a harsh appraisal of the former Leicester City player’s contribution to the encounter, but it’s not, and it’s also backed up by the 27-year-old’s statistics from the match.
For example, in his 80 minutes of action, he failed to take a single shot on target or off target, misplaced seven of his 11 crosses, lost the ball 11 times and was dribbled past once.
Minutes
80′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots on Target
0
Shots off Target
0
Crosses (Accurate)
11 (4)
Lost Possession
11
Dribbled Past
1
In all, Maddison was totally anonymous for most of the game and with the chance to progress in a cup competition on the line tonight, he should be dropped for a hungry youngster who could inject some much-needed dynamism into the side.
Why Lucas Bergvall should start
Yes, while there are several talented youngsters in Spurs’ squad at the moment, Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall should be the one to come into the lineup for Maddison tonight.
The 18-year-old wonderkid was signed by the North Londoners for around £8.5m in February of this year but remained in his home country to finish the season with Djurgarden before moving to England in the summer.
Now, the “exceptional talent,” as Brommapojkarna sporting director Peter Kisfaludy dubbed him, has only made three short cameo appearances for the Lilywhites’ first team so far this season, totalling 31 minutes. However, based on his form back in Sweden and the way he is spoken about by those in the know, he should be given his first competitive start for the club tonight.
For example, in just 19 games for Djurgården last season, the midfield “jewel”, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, racked up a seriously impressive tally of six goals and five assists, meaning he was averaging a goal involvement every 1.35 games.
Moreover, the “super creative midfielder”, whom data analyst Ben Mattinson claims will “cost £80m” in the near future, has already made his senior debut for Sweden and now has three caps to his name despite still being just 18 years old.
Ultimately, while it might be too early to start Bergvall in a game like the one on the weekend, he has the talent and experience behind him to play in a match like the one this evening, and after Madison’s dismal display last time out, he could be a breath of fresh air for Postecoglou and Spurs fans.
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