Pundit explains why 23-year-old’s loss of form is not all bad news for Spurs

Paul Robinson has claimed that Steven Bergwijn’s lack of minutes over recent weeks demonstrates the strength-in-depth that Tottenham Hotspur have in attacking areas and insisted that it was up to the Dutchman to win his place back in the side.

Bergwijn was often preferred over the likes of Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela by Jose Mourinho earlier in the season, with the former PSV Eindhoven man getting a run of starts alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Although the 23-year-old was not contributing much in terms of goals and assists, he seemed to be a vital part of the Tottenham jigsaw, particularly due to his willingness to track back as the North Londoners were playing a counter-attacking game.

However, the likes of Dele Alli and Garth Bale have come into form over recent weeks while Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela have demonstrated their quality when opportunities have come their way.

Bergwijn thus seems to have fallen down the pecking order and the winger could have plenty of work to do to force himself back into the starting eleven.

When asked about Bergwijn’s lack of game time, Robinson told Football Insider: “This is the beauty of having such a big strong squad.

“There are so many options in forward positions and the likes of Alli, Vinicius, Bergwijn and other can’t get a game. That is the beauty of having such a strong squad.

“Yes, Bergwijn’s form has dropped off of late. He is not playing as well as when he first came in but Spurs have not suffered because of the strength of their squad.

“Bale, Son, Kane and Lucas were exceptional against Palace and it is now up to Bergwijn and others to work harder and win their shirt back.

“It is fantastic competitions for places. There is such a high level there now, if you are not right at it you are not going to play every week.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Despite his lack of goals and assists this season, I do not believe Bergwijn has played poorly when he has had opportunities. Unfortunately, I think the Dutchman’s multi-functionality is actually counting against him.

The 23-year-old is good at running with the ball but he is not as direct as Moura and while is capable of getting involved in intricate build-up play, he is not as inventive as Lamela in finding space and seeking solutions.

It almost feels like Bergwijn is a jack-of-all-trades type of attacker without an outstanding skillset. However, I still believe that he can potentially be a very useful squad player for us.

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