‘Tottenham have long-term Son replacement’ after what Kudus did v Reading
Tottenham ran out 2-0 winners against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in their first pre-season fixture under Thomas Frank.
As expected, Spurs dominated possession against Reading, but needed to rely on two set pieces to break through against their League One opponents.
Frank was pleased with the result, but the information he would have gathered from the match will be far more valuable, as he managed to give 22 players a solid run-out.
The impressive Luka Vuskovic stole the headlines after he bagged an assist and a well-taken first goal for Tottenham, but the performance of Spurs’ new man, Mohammed Kudus, also caught the eye.
Kudus impresses as Son Heung-min struggles
One of the most significant areas of weakness that Frank immediately identified in Tottenham’s squad is their inability to penetrate teams that sit deep.
The Lilywhites possess plenty of goal-scoring prowess in wide areas from players like Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min, but neither is capable of consistently beating their man.
The South Korea international, who turned 33 last week, once again showed that he lacks in this department against Reading, failing to complete any of his three attempted dribbles.
Son was also wasteful in possession, losing the ball 11 times and recording a pass accuracy of just 64 per cent, while failing to deliver an accurate cross or key pass [Sofascore].
On the other hand, Kudus showed exactly why he was brought in to fix these issues.
The Ghanaian forward started the second half on the opposite flank of his captain, but was instantly involved as it was his corner that led to Will Lankshear’s opening goal.
The 24-year-old was involved again minutes later, bagging the assist for Vuskovic’s goal with a well-executed lay-off.
Unlike Son, Kudus completed four key passes and 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles, while achieving a 92 per cent pass accuracy.
The statistics support what was evident to the eye, namely that the new arrival showed more composure in attacking areas and posed a far greater threat due to his unpredictability and decision-making.
On yesterday’s showing, Kudus possesses that element of stardust and could be Tottenham’s long-term replacement for Son as the club’s mercurial attacker.
Frank can still get a tune out of Son
One of Frank’s most prominent qualities is his ability to adapt. During his time at Brentford, the Dane demonstrated that, while his core principles remain, he is willing to adjust his approach to best match the opponent.
As such, should Son stay at Spurs this summer, he will still be able to use the Tottenham icon in certain fixtures, specifically in games with a high number of transitions.
The South Korean is still both quick and an exceptional finisher, and will still be a threat in games where he can run onto passes off the shoulder of defenders and attack the goal directly.
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