Tottenham Hotspur ran away 2-0 winners over Fulham last night in North London, maintaining Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten start to life in the Premier League.
Let’s take a look at five things we learned:
Top of the League
How could we start with anything else? Tottenham Hotspur are not only back at the top of the Premier League, but also two points clear… with a chance to make it five points clear on Friday. We have to enjoy it while it lasts, right?
Unsung Hero Hojbjerg
All of the talk was about Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after the team news was announced, as Ange Postecoglou was forced into a deviation from his normal first-choice XI. Hojbjerg came in for the suspended Bissouma and did an excellent job. What I loved was that he made the role his own.
I was worried that Spurs would try and force Hojbjerg to become this Bissouma-esque press-resistant pivot and Fulham would have a field day. Instead, the Dane dropped deep, picked up the ball, recognised where the most dangerous point of attack was, and recycled the ball into the space. Very simple but very effective. He also ran his socks off for the team, creating the second goal as a reward.
Postecoglou Has High Standards
Although Spurs were 2-0 up and Fulham didn’t look like getting back into the game, Postecoglou cut a frustrated figure on the touchline. Spurs were sloppy in the second 45 at times, and it appears he holds them to high standards for the full 90. After all, one goal out of nothing and Fulham were within a sniff of a point. I love that Postecoglou is always thinking about the big picture. We are at the start of a process and a good performance means more to him than a simple win.
Captains Fantastic
I would argue that Tottenham’s three best players on the pitch last night, or at least three of the top five, were Heung-min Son, James Maddison, and Cristian Romero. Captain, vice-captain, and vice-captain. Two goals and an assist for Sonny, a goal for Maddison, and a commanding clean sheet for Romero.
If you watch any of the three off the ball for ten minutes, you also see how much they talk to the players around them. Romero applauded his fellow defenders a few times, Maddison had his arm around Richarlison, no doubt delivering some extra motivation or instructions, and Sonny is so much more of a talker than he was even 12 months ago. Strong leadership at Spurs!
Gugo, Gugo, Gugo!
Vicario deserves more than a mention here, and not just for his performance last night. He is among the most impressive goalkeepers in the Premier League this season, and there have been very few games where he has been allowed to sit back and enjoy a stress-free show.
More often than not, he earns his clean sheets with superb stops at important moments of the game, and that was no different yesterday. One to prevent Fulham from equalising with a header and another at 2-0 when the Cottagers went through on goal. The future of the Spurs gloves looks secure.
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