Tottenham could be boosted by return of Destiny Udogie v Aston Villa
Tottenham entered the international break on the back of successive defeats for the first time under Ange Postecoglou, but there remains plenty of positivity around the club ahead of next weekend’s return to Premier League action.
Aston Villa are next up for Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (26 November) in a potential early showdown for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
The Lilywhites will see a top-four finish as their minimum target after such a strong start to the season, having made their best ever start to a campaign after 10 games [Opta Analyst].
Since then, they have lost 4-1 to Chelsea and 2-1 to Wolves, but 26 points from a possible 36 is a very good return and leaves them fourth with close to a third of the campaign played.
The loss to Chelsea will be best remembered for the number of VAR incidents, one of which led to Destiny Udogie being dismissed for two bookable offences and subsequently suspended against Wolves.
Udogie was left out of Italy’s squad at the same time, which manager Luciano Spalletti put down to the full-back carrying an injury problem [Sky Sport Italia].
However, Charlie Eccleshare reported for The Athletic [20 November] that Spurs are “hopeful” Udogie will be fit to make his return from suspension against Villa.
That would be a huge boost for Postecoglou, as the youngster has excelled in a number of areas since making the breakthrough at Tottenham this season.
As per FBref, Udogie has averaged 4.37 tackles and interceptions combined per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, which is second only to Ben Davies (4.50) among Tottenham defenders.
The 20-year-old also averages more tackles in the attacking third per 90 (0.69) of any Tottenham player to have started more than once this season, showing he is able to turn over possession high up the field.
Away from the defensive side of things – full-backs need to do far more than just one aspect of the game these days, after all – Udogie has registered 3.10 progressive carries per 90 minutes.
That metric is defined by a player carrying the ball 10 yards or more towards the opposition goal, and it is a figure bettered only by Emerson Royal (3.78) among Spurs defenders.
Not since the 2-2 draw with Arsenal in late September has Udogie managed the full 90 minutes in a game for Spurs, with that game highlighting exactly what he is capable of.
The Italian led the way in terms of total tackles among every player on the field that day, registering at least three more than anyone else with his tally of eight [WhoScored].
Whether it is the defensive or offensive side of the game, Udogie’s importance to Postecoglou’s favoured system was clear to see prior to his setback against Chelsea.
Ranked as he is in the top 7% of all full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons [FBref], it makes perfect sense for the rising star to slot straight back against Villa if he is indeed fit.
In other Tottenham news, football finance expert Dan Plumley has insisted that Spurs’ outrage over accusations from Everton is a little rich.