Tottenham left-back Destiny Udogie still has room to improve despite ‘best left-back in the Premier League’ verdict
Tottenham left-back Destiny Udogie proved against Manchester City that he still has a lot to learn.
Spurs’ FA Cup journey came to an abrupt halt as they were beaten 1-0 by Pep Guardiola’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday 26 January.
It was the first time City had won at Tottenham’s new ground on what was their sixth visit, with Nathan Ake’s 88th-minute winner also their first goal at the recently built stadium.
Ange Postecoglou and his players will feel disappointed after missing out on a place in the fifth round of England’s oldest cup competition and must now switch their focus back to the Premier League.
It was a difficult evening for all of Spurs’ players, with Udogie in particular experiencing a night of ups and downs.
The 21-year-old has been a revelation since he arrived in North London. Tottenham signed Udogie from Udinese for an initial fee of £15million before loaning him back to the Serie A side for the 2022/23 season (Sky Sports News, 16 August 2022).
Having arrived at Hotspur Way last summer, the Italian has quickly become a key fixture of Postecoglou’s team, starting 18 Premier League games this season, only missing out due to either injury or suspension.
He has made an incredible impression during his short time in England so far.
As per fbref, he ranks in the top nine per cent of Premier League fullbacks this season for the number of tackles he has made (2.88 per 90) and the top four per cent for the number of touches he has made in the opposition penalty area (3.18 per 90), and number of carries he has made into the opposition penalty area (0.96 per 90).
Udogie has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, and speaking during the clash with City last night, former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison was full of praise for the youngster.
Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live (26 January), “Udogie has been the best left-back in the Premier League for me this season.”
It is incredibly high praise for a player so young and inexperienced, and moments of Udogie’s performance against City backed up Morrison’s claim.
As per Sofascore, the forward-thinking fullback won eight of his 14 ground duels and one of his two aerial duels while he also made three tackles, one interception and two clearances. On the ball, he demonstrated some quality as well, with 100 per cent of the long balls he played forward proving to be accurate.
However, moments of his game perhaps showcase his lack of experience playing at the top level against a team like Manchester City and suggest Udogie still has plenty of room to learn and develop.
He was dribbled past once and completed just 88 per cent of his passes while he was also successful with just one of his four attempted dribbles.
There were moments on the ball where Udogie perhaps took one too many touches, and as impressive as he was in other aspects of the game, he is certainly not the finished product.
Compliments such as the one Morrison offered Udogie are of course nice, but those around the player must make sure to keep him grounded so that he can continue to work hard and fulfil his extraordinary potential.
In other Tottenham news, one international star announced her arrival in North London as Spurs Women reached the quarter-final of the Conti Cup.
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