Tottenham go into the North London derby against Arsenal in indifferent form, but Ange Postecoglou could make a team selection decision that could swing the tie in their favour.
The Spurs boss hasn’t named the same side in any of the three games so far in the Premier League. After Rodrigo Bentancur picked up an injury against Leicester City, Postecoglu has been forced into reworking his ideal midfield set-up.
In Tottenham’s 4-0 thrashing of Everton, the Australian started with a midfield two of James Maddison and Yves Bissouma, whilst Pape Matar Sarr joined the pair in the defeat to Newcastle United.
Tottenham’s unsettled central core will face up with arguably the most consistent, stable midfield in the league against rivals Arsenal on the 15th of September.
Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice have played a key role in Arsenal’s recent title challenges, giving Mikel Arteta’s side control in most fixtures.
However, with Rice’s red card against Brighton, the Gunners will be without one of their most important cogs when they visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Postecoglou must use this to his advantage, with one versatile star set to be at the heart of any success.
Versatile Dejan Kulusevski can be Ange Postecoglou’s secret weapon against Arsenal
Dejan Kulusevski has played a number of roles under Postecoglou. Primarily a right winger, Kulusevski impressed Spurs fans in a central striker role during pre-season.
He began the defeat against Newcastle as a striker but found himself pushed back into an attacking midfield position after Brennan Johnson was introduced at half-time.
The intricacies of specific positions are certainly unique under Postecoglou, with his fullbacks often finding themselves in advanced central positions.
Against a full-strength Arsenal, the emphasis on overloading the central midfield areas would not be wise given their talents in the position. However, without Rice, Postecoglou’s Kulusevski experiments could finally prove successful.
Kulusevski wowed Spurs fans with two goals against Sheffield United from a central position at the end of last season, and the same level of performance could be seen if he’s deployed there against Arsenal.
He’s also been wowing his new Spurs teammate Lucas Bergvall – who called his fellow countryman ‘amazing’ after impressing him on the pitch in pre-season.
How Kulusevski could punish Arsenal without Declan Rice
Declan Rice has become a truly elite box-to-box midfielder since arriving at Arsenal. As well as adding goals to his game, last season saw him win 61% of his tackles per 90 minutes and whilst averaging over an interception per game.
Without Rice, then, Arsenal will lose a key figure in how they control the whole pitch in games. For Postecoglou, Kulusevski could be the perfect profile to exploit the gaps left in Rice’s absence.
His versatility has shown that he is capable of affecting a game from all over the pitch, which would cause confusion in the makeshift Arsenal midfield.
The Gunners don’t have a player available who can match Rice’s energy and ground coverage. Postecoglou must use this to his advantage and allow Kulusevski to drop deeper into the midfield in the spaces left behind.
It could also allow Spurs to play a fourth attacker with the Swede operating in midfield, giving Postecoglou the chance to produce a statement performance that will truly kickstart his side’s campaign.
Receive a digest of our best Spurs content each week direct to your mailbox
