Jamie O’Hara is excited by Lucas Bergvall’s potential but says there is one bad habit that the midfielder has to overcome if he wants to establish himself in Spurs’ starting eleven.
Lucas Bergvall starting to showcase his potential at Spurs
Bergvall arrived at Tottenham with plenty of hype, but the youngster initially found it difficult to adapt to the demands of the Premier League.
However, six months into his stint at N17, we are now seeing signs that the 18-year-old is starting to come to grips with the pace, intensity and physicality of the game at the highest level.
Lucas Bergvall has been one of Spurs’ best players of late and one can argue that he deserves to be a regular starter for the side on current form.
Ange Postecoglou seems to agree with that sentiment, having started Bergvall in the last two huge matches against Liverpool and Arsenal.
Jamie O’Hara says Lucas Bergvall has to cut out one bad habit
O’Hara was left mightily impressed by the performance that the Swede delivered in Tottenham’s win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal last week.
However, the pundit suggested that the teenager appears too keen to fly into challenges and opined that he has to curb that instinct if he wants to be a regular starter for Ange Postecoglou‘s side.
O’Hara told Grosvenor Sport: “Lucas Bergvall had a great game against Liverpool. He hasn’t been at Spurs long, he’s been in and out of the team this season, and sometimes he hasn’t quite done enough when coming on. But against Liverpool, he showed real energy, pressing the goalkeeper and going after them.
“That said, he was lucky to still be on the pitch, to be honest. There’s no way he should’ve been on to score that goal—he really got away with one there. I’ve noticed he tends to pick up silly bookings, and that’s something he needs to address.
“He’s just starting out in the Premier League and trying to make a statement, which is understandable. But if he wants to be starting games for Spurs, he can’t afford to pick up early yellow cards. He has it in him to make some rash tackles, and that’s a habit he’ll need to learn to curb quickly.”
Bergvall will eliminate mistakes as he gains more experience
Bergvall is certainly not someone who has a history of making poor tackles and perhaps the youngster was too eager to show Postecoglou that he can get stuck it in.
The teenager showed extremely poor judgement by flying into the challenge on Kostas Tsimikas last week when he was already on a yellow. However, he will learn from his mistake and will iron out the rough edges of his game as he gains more experience. A reminder that Bergvall hasn’t even played 1000 minutes for Tottenham Hotspur yet (TransferMarkt).
His game was a lot more well-rounded against Arsenal, albeit under difficult circumstances. You do get the impression that Spurs don’t have any midfielders who 100 per cent suit the number six role, but Lucas Bergvall has exciting potential in the eight.