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While early talk of a title charge has quickly been extinguished, positivity remains at Tottenham Hotspur following the fine start to life under Ange Postecoglou, with the Greek-Aussie having revived the club following the dour spell under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Although result haven’t always gone their way in recent months, the Lilywhites continue to impress with their free-flowing and relentless style of play, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville branding the approach the best he has seen since retiring over a decade ago.
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Such praise is just reward for the fine work that Postecoglou – who has already swept three Premier League Manager of the Month awards – has done to date, yet it is also a credit to his players, who have relished the opportunity to move away from Conte’s pragmatic philosophy.
With a whole host of first-team assets having sparkled under the new regime, we at Football Fancast have deemed it wise to dish player ratings (out of 10) to the current Spurs crop – albeit including only those who have started at least three league games.
Goalkeeper
Guglielmo Vicario
8 – As Jamie Carragher said, the former Empoli man has been an undoubted “revelation” this season, having prevented 4.28 goals – the best record in the division. An unknown quantity when he arrived from his native Italy, fans and pundits alike are now certainly aware of Guglielmo Vicario.
Full-backs
Pedro Porro
8 – Despite possible fears that he would not suit playing in a back four, as opposed to lining up at wing-back, Pedro Porro has sparkled so far this season – registering six assists to date from his right-back berth.
Emerson Royal
6 – No longer the first-choice pick at right-back, Emerson has commendably stepped in at centre-back on occasion this season and coped admirably. A useful squad player for Postecoglou to call upon.
Destiny Udogie
9 – While others have sparkled, one of the most impressive, surprise packages of the season for Spurs has been Destiny Udogie, with the Italy international taking the league by storm since his belated arrival from Udinese. As footballJOE’s Hunter Godson suggested, the 20-year-old “gets into nearly every team in the world already“.
Centre-backs
Ben Davies
6 – It is a worrying state of affairs that Ben Davies is the only credible back-up option at centre-back and while the long-serving Welshman never disgraces himself, Postecoglou is aware that a new addition will be needed in January.
Cristian Romero
7 – Only recently dubbed the “best defender in the world” by Lionel Messi, the World Cup winner needs to cut the reckless side out of his game, having already spent time on the sidelines this season due to suspension.
Micky van de Ven
7 – Were it not for the injury he sustained back in early November, the summer signing would likely have had a far higher rating, having been dubbed the “real deal” by ex-Manchester United man, Rio Ferdinand following his fine start to life in north London.
Midfielders
Yves Bissouma
8 – While the former Brighton and Hove Albion man has also had issues with suspension of late, he has been a man reborn at the base of Postecoglou’s midfield – with pundit Micah Richards dubbing him Tottenham’s “most consistent player” earlier in the campaign.
Pape Matar Sarr
7 – Much like the man above, Pape Matar Sarr hardly got a look in under Conte after featuring just 17 times last term, yet is definitely making up for lost time now. The Senegalese star has largely been an everpresent since scoring against Man United back in August.
Giovani Lo Celso
6 – The jury is out on the Argentine’s long-term future at N17, after spending the previous 18 months on loan at Villarreal, yet as his stunner against Aston Villa showcased, there is a quality player in there for Postecoglou to utilise.
James Maddison
8 – While James Maddison has cruelly seen his impact curtailed due to injury, prior to that he had arguably been the “signing of the summer” – as per TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole – after registering eight goal involvements from just 11 league games.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
5 – While injuries and suspensions have allowed the Dane to earn a way back into the side in recent months, he looks set to be on his way sooner rather than later – amid talk of a January exit.
Forwards
Brennan Johnson
6 – An injury-hit beginning to life in N17 has hampered the Wales international’s progress, yet Brennan Johnson is beginning to show signs of his exciting potential. Still a long way to go to warrant that rather hefty £47.5m transfer fee.
Dejan Kulusevski
8 – Now beginning to thrive in a number ten berth, Dejan Kulusevski – who podcaster Charlie Parrish described as an “absolute trojan” earlier this month – could well be starting to blossom into an £80m-£100m player. That’s the verdict of Neville, at least.
Richarlison
6 – While still not prolific, Richarlison looks way beyond the player who scored just one league goal last season – notably netting a brace in the 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle United just over a week or so ago. The Brazilian needs to maintain that momentum, however, with Postecoglou reportedly having his eye on a new striker in January.
Heung-min Son
8 – Harry Kane who? With the Englishman out the door, his former partner-in-crime has stepped up superbly, leading the way as the club’s top scorer this season. Now spearheading the frontline as an unorthodox number nine, it is hard to imagine where Spurs would be without him.
Manager
Ange Postecoglou
8 – An early League Cup exit and a run of five league games without a win in late November/early December somewhat spoiled the party, but boy has there been a lot to like about Postecoglou’s embryonic Spurs career. The football is beautiful and the man in charge seemingly wants to be there – how often have Spurs been able to say that in recent years?
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