‘Offered neither offensive nor defensive’ – Kulusevski criticised for international display

Dejan Kulusevski did not have the best of outings for Sweden on Sunday as they fell to a 2-1 loss at home to Norway.

Kulusevski has been in fine form since swapping Juventus for Tottenham in January, with the winger scoring five goals and registering eight assists in the Premier League (Transfermarkt) to help the Lilywhites clinch a top-four spot.

Spurs fans will be hoping that the 21-year-old can get even better in his first full season at the club, now that he has got accustomed to the demands of Premier League football and Antonio Conte’s set-up.

The winger carried his impressive club form into the international arena as he scored a brilliant solo effort last week to help Sweden overcome Slovenia 2-0 away from home in their first group game of the Nations League.

However, the Swedes followed that up with a loss to their Scandinavian neighbours at home on Sunday, with Kulusevski coming under criticism for both his attacking and defensive contributions.

Fotboll Skanalen, who marked their players from one to five, gave the Tottenham man a rating of 2 and wrote about his display: “This was not Dejan’s match. Offered neither offensive nor defensive. 

“Was closely guarded and did not manage to threaten Norway. However, had a nice performance with Elanga late and accounted for the assist for 2-1.”

Spurs Web Opinion

We have seen already during his short spell at Spurs that while Kulusevski is deadly when the opposing defence is stretched and he has space to run in behind, he is not as effective at picking the lock when coming up against a low-block. That could have also been the main reason behind his struggles at Juventus. 

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