Destiny Udogie faces tough test against 82% West Ham ace Mohammed Kudus after what happened in Tottenham v Man City
Tottenham secured a thrilling point on the road against Manchester City on Sunday (3 December) to keep the top four in their sights.
Dejan Kulusevski’s late goal at the Etihad means Ange Postecoglou’s side are in fifth place heading into their meeting with West Ham.
The Hammers make the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on their London rivals on Thursday (7 December).
And one man in claret and blue who will be a real danger for the hosts is Mohammed Kudus, with the winger producing a very impressive performance for his club in their draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
But it wasn’t just his goal that caught the eye, with the summer signing completing 82% of his passes, winning four of his five aerial duels and completing six of his eight dribble attempts, as well as making three tackles in a fantastic all-round display [Sofascore].
With Michail Antonio out injured, Hammers boss David Moyes is likely to continue playing Jarrod Bown centrally, meaning Kudus should continue on the right.
There he is likely to come face to face with Tottenham left-back Destiny Udogie, who endured a tough time against Pep Guardiola’s men.
First and foremost, Manchester City right-winger Phil Foden netted in the first half of the match, but Udogie also won just three of his eight duels and lost possession of the ball 10 times [Sofascore].
Moreover, the young Tottenham defender was dribbled past twice and made two fouls, receiving a yellow card for his troubles.
At 21, Udogie has enjoyed a rapid rise, but Kudus can use his pace and trickery to get at the Tottenham left-back, with the Ghana international keen to make it double figures for goals this season.
After netting four times for Ajax before his switch to East London, the talented attacker now has five goals from his 17 West Ham matches.
Visiting manager Moyes will undoubtedly be keen for his players to target Kudus as much as possible, particularly given how Tottenham have faced 73 switches of play this season, more than any other team, with the Hammers playing 66 switches, again more than anyone else [official Premier League website, 4 December].
Such figures have led to Premier League journalist Alex Keble predicting West Ham to “quickly play diagonals out to their wingers in search of space behind Spurs’ marauding full-backs,” which could be the “defining tactical battle of an awkward match for the hosts.”
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou has an ideal Harry Kane replacement under his nose, the player could save the club millions.