Ian Wright feels Tottenham have unearthed something special in Dejan Kulusevski by using him in the number eight role.
Tottenham are all set to hit the road to square up against Ferencvárosi in matchday 2 of the Europa League. While the focus is on making it five wins in a row across competitions, their exceptional performance against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday is still the talk of the town. The North London club thrashed the Red Devils 3-0 and the performances of quite a few of their players stood out.
Ange Postecoglou is known for his attacking approach. Irrespective of the opposition, the Australian manager doesn’t hold back and that is exactly what he did against the Manchester-based club as he started Dejan Kulusevski in the number eight role alongside James Maddison. The Swedish international who generally features on the right flank had an impressive outing and Ian Wright feels they have unearthed a gem.
While speaking on Premier League productions, he said via TBR: “Especially Kulusevski dropping off into that eight, it looks like a whole new offensive player in that area of the field.
“To have a player with that type of capability, everyone thinks he is a winger coming in off the right-hand side. But to be able to drop back. It’s Kai Havertz type of energy. He can come in down the right, of course, Kai can play down the centre as well.
“But for him (Kulusevski), with his technical ability, pace and his passing ability. It was perfect for him. They have really unearthed something with him playing in the eight there.”
Wright thinks Kulusevski looks like a player transformed in his new role. With his pace, his dribbling abilities and his eye for goal, he makes them a lot more threatening going forward. The former Arsenal and Crystal Palace star compared him to Kai Havretz who plays in a similar role for Mikel Arteta’s team.
Havertz can also feature up top as a number nine but when it comes to the number eight role, the duo seem to have a similar kind of style which helps them. They are a lot more effective when they drop off and look to create and use their abilities to link with those in and around. The 60-year-old feels the new role can bring the best out of the Swedish international. He suggested that Spurs have just unearthed a gem that could take the North London club places.
