Frank must axe 4/10 Spurs man who lost 100% of his duels
Frank must axe 4/10 Spurs man who lost 100% of his duels
Tottenham Hotspur showcased their resilience and togetherness to climb back from a two-goal deficit against Brighton & Hove Albion on the south coast in the Premier League.
However, last season’s residual defensive deficiencies had previously seeped in, with Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari firing the hosts into a 2-0 lead in the first half, against the run of play.
Thomas Frank was delighted with his team’s performance, even though the shares were spoiled, with several players in particular really shining at the AMEX.
Spurs’ best performers vs Brighton
Richarlison halved the deficit for Tottenham just before the interval to restore hope. That hope was captured and channelled in the second half, with Jan Paul van Hecke bundling in an own goal in the late stages to restore parity for the visitors.
At the centre of both goals was Mohammed Kudus, who was a menace throughout the contest. Signed from West Ham United for £55m in the summer, he is a work in progress but endowed with such quality, and the same can be said for nifty playmaker Xavi Simons.
Kudus was a constant thorn in the Seagulls’ side over the 90, attempting 12 dribbles and winning eight duels in total, as outlined by data-driven site Sofascore.
He could be more accurate in his attacking play, even having got the assist for Richarlison’s goal, but what a danger Frank has in this electric-paced winger.
Indeed, Wilson Odobert is a winger of high-speed efficiency, but it’s not working out for him in a Lilywhite shirt so far, with his performances perhaps shaping him into this year’s version of Brennan Johnson.
Frank must instantly drop Wilson Odobert
Johnson scored 18 goals for Tottenham across all competitions last season, the last of which carried quite the significance, but he toiled for much of the year, ghosting for large segments of the campaign. Odobert may well be taking that unwanted vacancy in Frank’s squad.
Indeed, Kudus might be firing on all cylinders after his cross-capital switch in the summer, but the same can’t be said for Odobert, who might have expected to kick on after an injury-hit maiden year at Tottenham but has so far offered little in the way of genuine promise.
Football.london saw it fit to brand Odobert with a 4/10 match rating, singling out his ineffectiveness when on the ball and failure to showcase any sort of meaningful threat.
Plenty of huff and puff, but the winger failed with every single one of his attempted dribbles and duels, and that tells the tale of the tape.
Minteh, his opposite number, won five duels and, of course, opened the scoring after darting round Guglielmo Vicario and converting.
Content creator Mitch Fretton noted that the French talent is “not performing at the required level this season”. With such thick competition in the attacking areas, it feels like Odobert might face an uphill battle to start in the Premier League again in the foreseeable future, with his struggles on the flank reminiscent of Johnson’s last year.
The Welsh winger was heavily criticised for his performances at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, but it’s worth noting that he bounced back spectacularly to play a significant role.
Let’s not forget, Johnson scored the goal which secured Tottenham some silverware at the end of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure. Odobert might be struggling to bring it all together at the moment, but let’s not count him out.