Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to end their recent poor run of form as they play host to Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have failed to win any of their last five matches in the top-flight, despite taking a 1-0 lead in all five of them, and have set records in the process.
Spurs are the first side in Premier League history to pick up zero wins after going 1-0 up in five straight games, as well as being the first team to lose three successive home clashes after taking the lead in each of them.
It has been a woeful run of results for the club since they lost James Maddison and Micky van de Ven to their respective injuries against Chelsea, and Postecoglou must work to find a winning solution against the Magpies today.
Tottenham were beaten 2-1 by West Ham United last time out as the opening goal from Cristian Romero was followed up by second half goals from Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse to secure all three points for the away side.
Latest Spurs injury news
Ahead of today’s clash with Newcastle, Postecoglou provided an injury update on his squad, which has been devastated by knocks in recent weeks.
Heung-min Son appeared in some discomfort after being substituted against the Hammers but the Australian tactician claimed that he was just a ‘sore’, which suggests that there is no major concern over his availability.
The former Celtic chief also revealed that Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr, who have recently returned from injury, came through the game without any issues.
However, no players will be returning to the squad this afternoon and, in fact, none of the current crop of injured stars will be back in action this side of Christmas.
This means that the likes of van de Ven, Maddison, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, and Ryan Sessegnon may not feature again for the club before 2024.
With all of this in mind, Postecoglou must bring Sarr, who came off the bench last time out, in from the start ahead of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, as the young gem – who has previously been compared to Yaya Toure – could improve the team in possession.
Why Sarr is similar to Yaya Toure
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig previously lauded the central midfielder as a player with 9/10 potential and named the former Manchester City and Ivory Coast star as a similar type of number eight.
Kulig listed pace, passing, long shots, and technique among some of the former Metz prospect’s best attributes and claimed that he had an “exciting” future ahead.
Toure was a powerful midfielder who was able to drive forward from the middle of the park to influence games at the top end of the pitch. He managed 79 goals and 49 assists in 316 matches in all competitions during his time with Manchester City.
The impressive whiz averaged 1.1 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game across his career as the ex-Barcelona man showcased his ability to consistently make things happen in possession.
Pape Matar Sarr’s season in numbers
Postecoglou has placed his faith in Sarr so far this season and the Senegal international is starting to live up to Kulig’s hype with Toure-esque, albeit he still has a long way to go to reach his levels on a consistent basis, performances.
The 21-year-old dynamo has averaged 3.01 shot-creating actions and 1.94 progressive carries per 90 during the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
This shows that, like Toure, Sarr is a midfielder who can create opportunities for his teammates through his passes whilst he is also able to drive forward by carrying the ball up the pitch in transition.
The Spurs youngster also ranks within the top 12% of his positional peers in the division for progressive passes (7.42) per 90 and is in the top 23% for assists (0.22) per 90.
Most similar Premier League players to Sarr in 23/24 (via FBref) |
|
---|---|
Player |
Rank |
Pascal Gross |
5 |
Douglas Luiz |
4 |
Joelinton |
3 |
Rodri |
2 |
Enzo Fernandez |
1 |
These statistics suggest that the ex-Metz ace, who has completed 90% of his attempted passes across 13 top-flight matches, is a fantastic progressive option for Postecoglou in midfield.
Sarr – once dubbed a “wonderful” player by Kulig – has the quality to progress his team up the pitch, either through passes or carries, to create chances – directly or indirectly – for others to test the opposition goalkeeper.
Whereas, Hojbjerg is not as direct and creative in that position and, perhaps, limits what Tottenham are able to do in possession when he is in the team.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s season in numbers
The Denmark international is not as effective on the ball as his 21-year-old teammate and, therefore, is not able to influence games as regularly for Spurs.
He is a defensive-minded option who does not provide as much progression in his play, which is why Sarr should start ahead of him this afternoon.
Tottenham failed to press on and find a second goal against West Ham on Thursday night and they may have been able to create more with the Senegal international on the pitch before the 84th minute.
Hojbjerg had 109 touches of the ball and attempted 100 passes in midfield against the Hammers. Yet, the central midfielder did not create a single chance for his teammates.
This shows that the experienced battler did not use the ball well enough to get at the West Ham defence in order to go and finish the game off at 1-0.
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The former Southampton ace has averaged 6.90 progressive passes and 1.46 progressive carries per 90 over the last 365 days in the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions.
He has also averaged 0.1 key passes per game and is yet to record a single ‘big chance’ created or assist for his side in 14 Premier League appearances this term.
Whereas, Sarr has averaged 0.9 key passes per match and produced two assists in his 13 top-flight outings for Tottenham this season.
Postecoglou, therefore, must now unleash his own version of Yaya Toure by bringing the 6 foot 1 whiz into the starting line-up to provide quality and drive in possession, which Hojbjerg has been unable to offer.