Tottenham Hotspur bounced back in style this evening, putting five goals past Southampton with no reply to finally put an end to their winless streak. A brace from James Maddison and debuts for Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence were worthy of celebration for the Spurs faithful.
Tottenham fans finally got their wish and were treated to a Djed Spence full Premier League debut for Spurs this evening. Fast forward one minute and he already had his first assist. A neat turn and drive at the heart of Southampton’s defence, followed by a superb ball to set James Maddison in behind.
Tottenham have been missing that kind of energy for weeks. That isn’t a dig at Pedro Porro as such, but Spurs need some fresh legs rotated into the side amidst this growing injury crisis. Spence showed the power of fresh energy this evening. He was also just as involved at left-back after Postecoglou was forced to move him out there.
Let’s not let it go unsaid that he absolutely worked his socks off too, both on and off the ball. Great signs for Spurs moving forward.
Amid all the praise for Djed Spence, let us not forget about Lucas Bergvall who also made his Premier League full debut this evening. Coming in to replace the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma, Bergvall effortlessly slotted into the pivot role – a whole lot of responsibility for someone so young. However, his performance was sensationally fearless.
Yes, he got caught on the ball a couple of times, but that was mainly because he tried to play dangerous passes forward and drive into the heart of the pitch at every opportunity. This was a really exciting performance from Lucas, building on his cameo against Rangers in mid-week. The big question is – does Bissouma even deserve his spot back next week?
Sonny needed a game like this. Lots of open space in front of him to run into and cause damage. Not only did he grab another goal today, but he also assisted two more – a clever roll across the box to find an onrushing Pape Sarr and a lovely outside-of-the-boot pass down the line to set Maddison away.
It’s about time Son struck some fear into his markers again, whether they step onto him or leave him space. He dealt with both situations so well today. In fact, he was so good, he helped Tottenham wrap up the win by half-time and went off early for a nice rest.
Let’s be honest, James Maddison has actually played at a pretty high standard for a lot of Tottenham’s games this season. I think what some Spurs fans get frustrated by is these little glimpses of not just a good player, but a world-class one. He was out of the team heading into Man City away, then came back into the XI and scored a brace. Same situation today, many expected him to start from the bench, but Ange placed his faith in the playmaker and he rewarded that with another brace.
Dejan Kulusevski has stepped up on and off the pitch this season, putting in such remarkably consistent performances while also acting like a natural captain. Tottenham need a little more of both from Madders, and today is a great start on that path.
Sorry, but there is a grey cloud in the mix as usual for Tottenham. Unfortunately, Destiny Udogie was forced off with an injury after just 16 minutes. This means Spurs now have just three fit senior defenders at the club – that’s defenders of any kind, not just centre-backs.
It also means that if no one is able to shake off their knocks before mid-week, Spurs will have to line up with a back four of Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, and Djed Spence against Man United – and onwards.
Honourable mention – Alfie Dorrington also made his Tottenham debut at centre-back this evening.
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