Tottenham Hotspur’s poor form continued after a 1-0 Boxing Day defeat against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. That is the sixth time they have failed to win in December, with their only victories coming away to Southampton and at home to Manchester United in a hectic Carabao Cup tie.
Indeed, it was a former Red Devils star who sunk the Lilywhites, with Anthony Elanga scoring the only goal of the game. It was a game where Spurs dominated the ball. As per Sofascore, they had 70% possession but failed to break down a tough Forest defence.
One of the most disappointing performers on the day was captain Son Heung-Min.
Son’s stats vs. Forest
It has been a bit of a strange season for Tottenham captain Son. The South Korean is naturally not having the same impact as he did a few years ago, given the fact he is 32 years of age. Yet, he still has five goals and six assists in 14 Premier League games.
Against Southampton in the 5-0 thrashing earlier this month, the Spurs captain scored once and grabbed two assists.
He also scored twice in the 4-0 win over Everton on the second day of the season. So, the numbers are there, but he has struggled for form too.
Perhaps the defeat on Boxing Day is a prime example of this. Whilst the Spurs number seven was involved in the game, having 53 touches and creating three chances, he didn’t really have the impact one might expect.
This was certainly echoed by Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold. The Spurs correspondent gave the Lilywhites number seven a 4/10 for his performance in the East Midlands, describing his display as ‘hesitant and ineffective’.
Ange Postecoglou now has a bold decision to make. With Spurs stuck in this rut of limp form, he might well choose to drop his captain for their next game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. It would be a bold call, but one that is perhaps justified.
That does leave the question of who could replace Son in the side, with one option being Lucas Bergvall.
Why Bergvall could start vs. Wolves
After a Boxing Day performance that was certainly not the highlight of Christmas for Spurs fans, one silver lining was Bergvall’s cameo. The 18-year-old Swedish midfielder has had fleeting opportunities for the Lilywhites this term, with just 221 minutes in the Premier League.
However, his 26-minute appearance at the City Ground last Thursday was certainly encouraging. Gold described it as a ‘neat cameo’, giving him a 6/10 for his efforts as he tried to help Spurs claw back a point. Indeed, he was busy in the short amount of time he was on the pitch, having 32 touches and a pass accuracy of 92%.
There is more evidence to suggest a start for Bergvall is justified. He has had some impressive performances in the Europa League too this season, particularly in the 1-0 win against AZ Alkmaar. As per Sofascore, the youngster had 50 touches, completed 91% of his passes and created one big chance.
Stat
Number
Touches
50
Pass accuracy
91%
Passes completed
32/35
Ground duels won
5/9
Long balls completed
4/5
Tackles won
3/5
Big chances created
1
Starting the Swede might be a smart choice from Postecoglou in order to shake things up, although it would mean the starting lineup could do with a reshuffle. Bergvall is a creative midfielder, operating in central areas. He was once described as a “very complete” player by football analyst Ben Mattinson.
This means that Dejan Kulusevski would have to play out wide to accommodate the 18-year-old. It might see his countryman play on the right and Brennan Johnson switch to the left-hand side.
If he decides to play Bergvall from the start, it would be a brave thing for Postecoglou to do against Wolves. The Old Gold are flying high under new manager Vitor Pereira, with two wins in two games so far.
Spurs are not exactly in good form, so switching things up and giving a youngster like Bergvall a chance from the start could be something that can help them get back to winning ways.
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