Matthew Chadder

Fri 15 December 2023 16:10, UK

If there is anything Tottenham supporters have learnt from Ange Postecoglou’s short time in charge so far, it is that his system allows his full-backs’ attacking qualities to flourish.

The term ‘inverted full-back’ seems to suddenly be a phrase that everyone in English football has become familiar with, when perhaps only ten years ago no one had even thought of the idea.

Having a full-back operate in midfield was unheard of until Pep Guardiola arrived in the Premier League. He was the first manager to introduce the idea in this country, and since then, it has been taken to a whole new level.

Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold are players who jump to mind when you think of the term ‘inverted full-back’, and Postecoglou now has Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie playing this role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and playing it very well indeed.

During the 4-1 victory over Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 10 December, Udogie got himself on the scoresheet, while Porro grabbed an assist, with the pair playing five key passes between them and registering four shots at goal (Sofascore).

It now seems as if a full-back’s attacking qualities are more desirable than their defensive ones, and with that in mind, there is one player in particular who could make the perfect addition to the squad that Postecoglou is building at Hotspur Way.

As reported online by Itallian news outlet CalcioMercato (14 December), Tottenham have been following the performances of Juventus left-back Andrea Cambiaso in recent months, with the report listing the north London side as “first and foremost” when it comes to interested parties in the 23-year-old.

Following the successes of defenders Udogie and Cristian Romero following their switches from the Serie A to the Premier League, Tottenham could be tempted by the Itallian market once again. That temptation will only increase after a deeper dive into Cambiaso’s stats, which suggest he could be the perfect player to keep Udogie on his toes and provide some healthy competition.

As per fbref, the areas where the Itallian has excelled this season all fall under the ‘attacking’ categories. He is among the top 11 per cent of Serie A full-backs this season for the number of goals scored (0.11 per 90) and the top 18 per cent when it comes to assists (0.23 per 90).

He moves into the top ten per cent of his positional peers for a range of other important attacking statistics, such as the number of shots he has taken (1.26 per 90), and the number of these shots which have been on target (0.46 per 90). He sits in the top three per cent for his non-penalty xG (0.14 per 90), which demonstrates that the quality of his shooting is also high.

While his ability to trouble opposition goalkeepers would certainly please Postecoglou, the Australian would be even more delighted by his ability on the ball. Cambiaso sits in the top 12 per cent of Serie A full-backs for both his passing accuracy (84.3 per cent per 90) as well as his progressive carries (3.44. per 90) and moves into the top five per cent for the number of those carries that he makes into the opposition penalty area (1.03 per 90).

Of course, it is still important for Postecoglou’s full-backs to be switched on defensively, with Cambiaso’s position in the top 14 per cent of his positional peers in Italy’s top flight when it comes to the number of tackles he has made in the attacking third this season (0.34 per 90) suggesting he is still comfortable getting his hands dirty.

All of these qualities point toward a player who could certainly thrive under Postecoglou, with the 58-year-old’s management style perhaps the perfect fit to mould Cambiaso into a top full-back.

The report from CalcioMercato states that Juventus would require somewhere between £17.1 and £21.4million in order to sell the player, but with the attacking potential he has demonstrated as well as his relatively young age, this could soon be viewed as a steal, the same way Udogie’s transfer is now viewed in north London.

In other Tottenham news, European giants Real Madrid regret not signing a Spurs ace who is now thriving with the club.