Tottenham: Radu Dragusin sends Ange Postecoglou message after what he did for Romania
Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin has demonstrated to Ange Postecoglou that he is ready to put his underwhelming debut against Fulham behind him.
Dragusin would have been dreaming about his first Tottenham start following his £26.7million arrival from Serie A side Genoa in January (Sky Sports News, 12 January 2023).
After a few positive cameo appearances, hopes would have been high among Spurs’ supporters that the 22-year-old would have been able to slot straight into Postecoglou’s team should he be needed.
And against Fulham, he was needed with Micky van de Ven injured, although Dragusin’s dream of making a Tottenham start quickly became something of a nightmare as Marco Silva’s side thrashed Spurs 3-0 at Craven Cottage (16 March).
It wasn’t the defender’s finest hour, although it appears that he has already put that difficult evening behind him based on his impressive display for Romania in their 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland on Friday (22 March).
Radu Dragusin has proved to Ange Postecoglou he can turn things around at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
It is fair to say that after Dragusin’s display at Craven Cottage, there would have been a few concerns, especially considering his price tag.
As per Sofascore, although he managed to make five clearances, block two shots and make two interceptions, he only managed to win one of his three ground duels, with Rodrigo Muniz consistently getting the better of him.
His one big chance missed summed up what was a difficult evening for the player, who must now show his mental strength and respond to the setback.
And he made a brilliant start to doing just that by putting in a confident display against Northern Ireland in what was his first outing since the Fulham disappointment.
It would have reminded Postecoglou that he is still new to the Premier League and while there will be some hiccups along the way, he is a young defender with plenty of potential.
On Friday night he was near-flawless at the back as he won two tackles and made five clearances, limiting Northern Ireland to just five shots compared to Romania’s 11.
In addition, although he struggled slightly in the air, winning just 50 per cent of his aerial duels (two out of four), he was perfect elsewhere as he won 100 per cent of his ground duels (six out of six) and completed 100 per cent of his dribbles (two out of two), which would have especially delighted Postecoglou.
He also completed 89 per cent of his passes as he helped Romania dominate possession, with the hosts seeing 71 per cent of the ball.
It was much more like it from Dragusin, who will look to build on this display when he returns to Hotspur Way.
In other Tottenham news, a former Spurs employee has revealed that fans should keep their eye on one player after a medical admission this week.
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