View: John Egan could threaten to derail Tottenham momentum as Sheffield Utd star shines on international duty
Tottenham have made an impressive start to the season and have been scoring for fun, hitting the back of the net 11 times so far during their first four Premier League matches.
When Ange Postecoglou arrived in north London, it was expected that Spurs would become a much more attacking side than they were last season under Antonio Conte. Nonetheless, not many supporters would have expected the Australian to have such a quick impact on the team.
After four games in the league, Postecoglou’s men have picked up ten points, winning three times and drawing once. This is an especially strong start when you consider that Spurs have played three times on the road and their only home future so far was the visit of Manchester United.
They sit second in the league and will host 17th-placed Sheffield United on Saturday 16 September when the Premier League returns, following the conclusion of the international break. On paper, this is a game Spurs will be favourites in.
As mentioned, they are scoring for fun while the Blades are yet to win a game this season. However, the form of their captain over the international break could offer the visitors a ray of hope.
Defender John Egan has been away with Ireland over the past two weeks, where he started both of their 2024 UEFA European Championship qualifier defeats to France and the Netherlands. Despite the losses, Egan performed well against the two strong sides and will be looking to build on his momentum and help his teammates derail Tottenham’s impressive start to the season.
He was particularly impressive in the 2-0 defeat to France and was awarded a match rating of 7.1 for his exploits. He made four clearances, and three interceptions, while also winning three of his four aerial duels. In addition to this, he blocked three shots, completed 91 per cent of his passes and even managed to get forward and have a shot on target of his own (Sofascore).
In the 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands, Egan once again made four clearances, blocked a shot and made an interception. On this occasion, he completed 83 per cent of his passes and played one accurate long ball forward.
He received plenty of praise from the media for his performance against the Netherlands, with the Irish Independent writing (10 September), “7/10 – Some big tackles helped quell the Dutch attack and solid in the air too. Another good performance by the Corkman before he was replaced by Jamie McGrath.”
If he keeps this form up, Son Heung-min and his fellow attacking stars will need to make sure they are on fine form on Saturday to get the three points that they will be expecting.
In other Tottenham news, a cup draw for the club’s women’s team has given their new manager a chance to prove himself early on.