Opinion: The Harry Winks remontada at Tottenham

Harry Winks found himself to be an unlikely hero for Spurs as they drew 2-2 to Liverpool on Sunday. The Englishman even won Tottenham’s Man of The Match Poll on Twitter.

Winks will be feeling confident and looking to build on this performance after most Spurs fans met his inclusion in the team with groans and sighs of disbelief.

Despite this lack of faith, Winks has put together a neat run of form, starring in not only the match against Liverpool, but also making solid appearances against Leeds, and making a bright cameo against Dutch side Vitesse since Antonio Conte’s appointment.

Although it must be noted Winks was up against a very weak Liverpool midfield of Milner, Keita, and Morton, he was a vital cog in the system Tottenham played on the day.

Winks played a key role in breaking up Liverpool’s attacking play as well as jump-starting Tottenham’s counterattacks.

Winks played a role in both goals the Lilywhites scored, winning the ball back with an uncharacteristically aggressive slide tackle in the opposition’s half leading to Kane’s goal and playing a more direct role in Heung Min Son’s goal, playing a pass behind Liverpool’s backline to Son who was able to finish, thanks to a mistake from Allison.

However, this was only one of many progressive passes Winks made on the day. Uncharacteristically, the Englishman was constantly looking to threaten the Liverpool backline, frequently finding Kane, Dele, and Son in dangerous positions.

The centre mid connected 8 of his attempted 14 long balls, many of which were threatening the Liverpool backline (sofascore).

Winks was also a rock defensively. He was only dribbled past once, made 4 interceptions, blocked 3 shots, and won 4 duels (sofascore).

Winks rediscovering form would be extremely beneficial to Spurs. It would add another solid midfielder and help the club out with their homegrown player quota.

Winks will be hoping his performance against Liverpool will be enough to keep one of Skipp or Højbjerg out of the starting eleven when Tottenham comes up against West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday – as well as the match against Crystal Palace in the league on Sunday.

Could this be the Harry Winks revolution?

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