Thierry Henry likens Spurs star to Santi Cazorla after moment vs Marseille 

Thierry Henry has likened Ivan Perisic to former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla for his ability to deliver pin-point crosses with either foot. 

Perisic has perhaps not been at his very best so far this season but the Croat has demonstrated on quite a few occasions already how dangerous he can be when he is allowed to cross the ball.

Ivan Perisic Pedro Porro
(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

The 33-year-old already has seven assists to his name across all competitions (Transfermarkt) and has impressed with his ability to take set pieces with either foot.

It was Perisic’s delivery that brought Spurs level against Marseille on Tuesday as the wing-back produced a dangerous ball from the wide area with his left foot which was met with authority in the box by Clement Lenglet.

Henry admitted that he has seen very few players who can cross with as much accuracy as the Tottenham man with his weaker foot.

The Arsenal legend told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (01/11/22 at 10:10 pm): “Yes, the Frenchman, going back to his country and scoring. But the delivery of Ivan Perisic, please! Santi Cazorla, left foot and right foot. 

“I have seen from him. (Ousmane) Dembele also, I have seen from him. But what a ball with his left foot.”

Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher was critical of how deep a line Marseille were maintaining when defending the free-kick.

The former Liverpool defender said: “We see it a lot in football now where we see teams defending wide free-kicks. We always say ‘oh, that line looks a little bit high’. But, in reality, it’s not. 

“There is a reason why you push the line high, it’s because you don’t want to concede goals like that. You defend that deep, so close to your goal, it’s very difficult to defend.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The fact that Perisic has quietly racked up seven assists already demonstrates just why Conte wanted to sign him. Just the Croat’s set-piece delivery alone is arguably worth ten goals a season, and I would not be surprised if he finishes the campaign with close to 20 goal contributions overall.

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