Tottenham ace Dejan Kulusevski gets boost of confidence with Sweden Player of the Year award
Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski has been a standout performer for the club in recent months, and his form has now been deservedly recognised on the international stage.
While he has played the majority of his football in a Tottenham shirt out wide, Kulusevski has shown in recent weeks that he is a versatile player who can also make an impact in an advanced midfield role, emphasising his talent and unique ability as a footballer.
That versatility, talent and unique ability was all on display in Spurs’ 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Friday 15 December.
Having started the match in the number ten role, the Swede was required to move to the right when Brennan Johnson was forced off after half an hour against his former side, and the 23-year-old would go on to put in an incredible shift.
He assisted Richarlison’s goal which opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, before grabbing a goal for himself midway through the second half. In addition, he completed 92% of his passes (26 of 28), of which three were key balls, and completed two of his three dribbles (Sofascore).
In the 4-1 home win against Newcastle United before the clash with the Reds, Kulusevski started in the number ten position but this time finished the match there, and while he didn’t grab a goal or assist on that occasion, his performance was once again just as influential.
He completed 90 per cent of the passes he attempted, with an incredible five of those being key. As well as this, he created two big chances and was accurate with the one cross and one long ball which he attempted.
And it is not just at club level where the former Juventus man is excelling.
It was announced on Thursday 4 January (Sweden Football), that for a second year in a row, Kulusevski had scooped Sweden’s Player of the Year award, the ‘Golden Ball.’
Kulusevski’s influence for club and country is incredibly impressive when taking into account his young age, and Spurs fans will be excited about the quality of player the Sweden international can become as he gets older and more mature.
Ange Postecoglou recently admitted that he feels as if Kulusevski will only continue to improve.
“I think there’s more to come with Deki, he’s still fairly young age-wise as well. I’ve been really pleased with him because he’s played a number of positions for us,” (Football London, 22 December).
That versatility and ability to play in several positions has been key to helping the Australian guide Spurs through their current injury crisis, and despite being shifted around, Kulusevski’s performance levels have not dipped.
He has created eight big chances in the Premier League this season and averages 2.3 key passes per game, which demonstrates his influence and creative flair.
As per fbref, Kulusevski is among the top four per cent of his positional peers in England’s top flight for the number of crosses he has played into the penalty area this season (0.54 per 90) and the top eight per cent for the number of passes he has played into the box (2.53 per 90).
In addition, he sits in the 90th percentile for both his carries into the penalty area (3.24 per 90) and the number of progressive passes he has received (11.86 per 90), emphasising his importance to Spurs and Postecoglou.
Kulusevski will be looking to make it three consecutive golden balls by performing well this year, and will certainly have seen his confidence boosted after scooping the award once again.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou must hand one final chance to a three-tackle Spurs defender after a recent development.