Hojbjerg opens up on how he is adding goals and assists to his game

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has put his impact in the final third this season down to having a better understanding of Tottenham’s system.

While Hojbjerg had always been lauded for his work rate, leadership skills and defensive awareness, the one area of his game that was criticised previously by some Spurs fans was his quality on the ball and his lack of creativity.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
(Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)

The Dane has certainly silenced his critics so far this season and has shown that he can contribute in the final third when given the freedom to do so.

The 27-year-old already has seven goal contributions to his name across all competitions so far (Transfermarkt).

His latest assist came in Tottenham’s 3-2 win over Bournemouth on Sunday as the midfielder played a perfectly weighted through ball to pick out Ryan Sessegnon, who found the far corner.

It is not just Hojbjerg who has been among the goals recently, but his midfield partner Rodrigo Bentancur too, who has also scored two in two matches and is having more of a say in the final third.

The former Southampton man explained that he and his Tottenham teammates have a clear understanding of their roles within the system and have thus been able to look for ways to have more of an impact in front of goal.

When asked if the coaches at Spurs have been working with him on his play in the final third, Hojbjerg told Football.London: “We are working intensely for quite a time, working intensely in a system where everyone is well aware what to do with specific roles, but we are always trying to look for improvement and new situations.

“When you get that confidence and understanding into the bones of the system, you start to come up with your own touch, which everyone is always trying to do. I’m not sure the coaches are telling me specifically to do that but it’s not a bad thing.”

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Pierre’s point about being well-versed with the system makes sense as both he and Bentancur are seemingly now more aware of when certain players are expected to make forward runs, which was the case with Sessegnon’s goal on Saturday.

It is also worth remembering that Hojbjerg started his career as more of an offensive midfielder/winger before moving deeper. So, he does have a bit of a natural instinct for goals and assists.

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