Heung-min Son isn’t the only Tottenham player who could do well in a strange position this season. For many, the September international break is a good time to look at new players and where a club is right now
But for Tottenham Hotspur, this stoppage in play couldn’t have come at a worse time, since the Lilwyhites have been doing well in recent weeks.
The trepidation will be that the north Londoners will lose the early season energy that has been acquired following an unbeaten beginning to the new Chief Association crusade, with Ange Postecoglou’s side right now only two focuses behind champions Manchester City at the highest point of the table.
During the recent 5-2 thrashing of newly promoted Burnley, Spurs‘ rapid improvement under their new coach was particularly evident. That clinical away performance exemplified the free-flowing, attacking football that the former Celtic manager is attempting to implement.
Heung-min Son, who scored a hat trick, was one of Turf Moor’s top performers that day. The South Korean star took on the role of Harry Kane’s former partner in crime by leading the line through the middle.
Postecoglou reaped immediate benefits from that somewhat unexpected selection, and other team members may benefit from additional inventive tactical adjustments. How has Heung-min Son performed this season?
Notwithstanding having started the season in his typical left-wing billet, the proceeded with burdens of colleague Richarlison – who has quite recently a lone association objective in his possession across the most recent a year – saw Child introduced as the principal man in assault against the Clarets.
The long-serving Tottenham star made that change, scoring a lovely, delicate dink over James Trafford early in the first half to tie the game for the visitors. After the break, he scored two more ruthless goals to complete a stunning treble.
With no senior striker having been endorsed to supplant Kane, the 31-year-old seems as though he could be basically areas of strength for a term arrangement in that number nine compartment, with writer Alasdair Gold having anticipated that he could fill that opening in a “alternate yet viable way”.
Although it may still be early days, the success of that tactical shift may inspire Postecoglou to perform another unexpected act by re-housing Dejan Kulusevski elsewhere in the team. There is a possibility that the graceful Swede could be an option alongside James Maddison in the center of midfield. This would put the Swede in a position to play alongside James Maddison.
How has his performance this season been?
Since his loan deal was made permanent over the summer, the 23-year-old has started every league game so far this season. He scored especially well in the win against AFC Bournemouth last month.
Even though he played a regular right-wing position for the team, 90 Minutes reported in June that Postecoglou was not particularly impressed with the £25 million winger. The player appeared to need to win over his new manager.
That had come after the Stockholm native had a difficult 2022/23 season in which he scored just twice in the top flight and had seven assists, with pundit Glenn Murray describing the misfiring forward as “blowing hot and cold” as a sign of his inconsistent play.
After beforehand netting 13 objectives and aids only 18 association games at the last part of the 2021/22 mission following his January credit appearance from Turin, there is obviously a capable player in there, yet an adjustment of position could permit his characteristics to be really displayed.
What are the advantages of Dejan Kulusevski?
After the victory at Turf Moor, football.london’s Gold wrote that the £110k-per-week player may be “looking nervously over his shoulder at Brennan Johnson’s arrival.” This is especially true given that summer signing Manor Solomon is also impressing on the opposite flank and has registered two assists. Since Spurs spent £47.5 million on the aforementioned Johnson, it is anticipated that the former Nottingham Forest player will slot into one of those three forward positions, which could mean that Kulusevski
As per regarded source Head Association Board, composing on Twitter, in the event that the Sweden star is to be removed from his going after compartment it might demonstrate something of a surprisingly good development, as playing on the conservative “doesn’t expand Kulusevski’s ball-striking, enormous space ball-conveying, capacity to turn with tension on his back and weighting of [through] balls.”
As PLP proceeded to add, that might see the one-time Parma man line-up close by Maddison as an imaginative, number eight choice behind the forefront, especially while facing “profound blocks” who will hope to sit behind the ball.
The proof is that Kulusevski has the playmaking quality to have the option to separate such an even minded cautious unit, having made seven ‘opportunities of a lifetime’s in the Chief Association last season – a count just bettered by Kane, Child and Ivan Perisic among his partners.
Could Kulusevski at any point play in midfield?
The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare likewise noticed that the 6 foot 2 threat ‘might actually succeed’ as number eight as he ‘usually likes to play midway’, with that unexpected case offering further help to the idea that a difference in place could be what is need to resuscitate his structure at N17 genuinely.
As of now, Postecoglou has focused on a more strong underpinning of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr behind Maddison in focal midfield, in spite of the fact that as implied over, certain games and rivals could see Kulusevski’s gifts best used in that job.
According to Transfermarkt, the versatile gem has played in 65 career games as a center midfielder and 26 games as an attacking midfield option, so it’s not like he hasn’t played in a more central position before.
Kulusevski could try his hand elsewhere in the team, especially with Johnson likely eager to take his place on the flanks, despite having previously excelled as a winger under Antonio Conte during his first six months in England.
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