Ange Postecoglou gets it wrong as Dejan Kulusevski starts for Tottenham v Brighton
Ange Postecoglou might be haunted by his decision to start Dejan Kulusevski against Brighton after the Tottenham forward’s disappointing cameo performance against Everton in the Premier League last time out.
Spurs will look to get back to winning ways as they welcome the Seagulls to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 10 February.
Postecoglou’s side conceded a 94th-minute equaliser last time out as Jarrad Branthwaite headed home to earn Everton a point in a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday 3 February.
Aston Villa’s 5-0 win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane later that day saw Spurs fall out of the Premier League’s top four, and they will be looking to reclaim fourth spot once again ahead of Villa’s clash with Manchester United at Villa Park on Sunday 11 February.
Richarlison will look to continue his fine form after his brace on Merseyside against his former club made it nine goals in eight Premier League games.
Meanwhile, the return of Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma to the matchday squad is a massive boost for the home side as they find themselves back at full strength for the first time in over three months.
However, following Kulusevski’s performance from the bench against the Toffees, Postecoglou could live to regret naming the 23-year-old in the starting lineup.
Tottenham ace Kulusevski must improve against Brighton
Kulusevski has impressed at times this season, but his form has not been red-hot as of late.
While he didn’t start against Everton, he did feature in the second half and did very little to prove Postecoglou’s decision to start him on the bench wrong.
As per Sofascore, following his introduction in the 64th minute when he was brought on in place of Brennan Johnson, Kulusevski failed to make any meaningful impact.
He completed just 67 per cent of his passes and failed with his one cross attempt with the one long ball which he played forward an unsuccessful one.
In addition, he attempted four dribbles but was successful with just two of them and only won 50 per cent of his ground duels.
Nonetheless, Kulusevski is a player full of quality who can cause teams problems when he is at his best, and his manager will hope that he can reward the faith which has been placed on him with a strong display against Brighton.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou continues to put his faith in the youth as one Under-21 star was spotted in first-team training this week.
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