Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou will be delighted by what Destiny Udogie did on Tuesday
Ange Postecoglou will be fully focused ahead of Luton Town’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday (30 March), and it appears Destiny Udogie is too.
Following Spurs’ 3-0 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage (16 March), Postecoglou has had almost two weeks to reflect on what was his side’s most disappointing performance of the season.
While his players have been representing their nations around the world, the Tottenham boss would have been thinking up ways to put things right against the Hatters.
Spurs are well in the race for UEFA Champions League football, but they will need to show much more than they did against Marco Silva’s side last time out if they want to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.
Postecoglou would have loved the opportunity to spend time preparing a game plan with his players to ensure they put things right against Luton, although the March international break has prevented the Australian that opportunity.
Nonetheless, the 58-year-old would have been delighted by the attitude of one of his key players as Udogie was spotted back in first-team training for Spurs on Tuesday (26 March), with the club posting an image of him to their official X account.
Destiny Udogie will be key for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou in the race for UEFA Champions League football
Some supporters might have been concerned by Udogie’s absence from Italy’s matchday squad for their 2-0 win over Ecuador on Monday (25 March), although it appears he is well and ready to switch his focus back to Tottenham.
And Postecoglou will be delighted with how quickly his first-choice left-back has returned to first-team training following his international exploits.
Udogie will be looking to rediscover his form after a difficult past couple of matches and is clearly wasting no time getting back to work ahead of the Luton clash this weekend.
The 21-year-old started for Italy as they beat Venezuela 2-1 on Thursday (21 March), but had a night to forget as he gave the ball away after just two minutes which led to his side conceding a penalty.
As per Sofascore, he also wasn’t at his best defensively on what proved to be a difficult evening for the youngster.
Udogie won just four of his nine ground duels and also conceded two fouls while giving possession away 10 times.
He did manage to complete 95 per cent of his passes, 100 per cent of his long balls forward and 100 per cent of his crosses, but his one successful dribble from three attempts was yet another low point on a frustrating evening.
Udogie is a key player in N17, and his performances could prove crucial between now and the end of the season.
Only three outfield players at Tottenham have played more minutes than Udogie in the Premier League this season (Premier League Official Website).
Udogie is only behind Pedro Porro when it comes to the number of tackles he has made (63) and has made the fourth-most touches at Tottenham (1,605), highlighting his importance in the team.
Postecoglou will need Udogie back to his best, and luckily for him, the Itallian is clearly ready to put in the work to get there.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy will be licking his lips after a £2.1billion UEFA figure emerged.
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