Dejan Kulusevski has pulled no punches in his Tottenham verdict after starring in the stunning 4-1 victory against West Ham. The Sweden international has been in sensational form since being moved into a central position with that continuing as he scored his first home goal of the season.
Mohammed Kudus had initially put the visitors in front, but Spurs then struck back swiftly with Kulusevski's effort bouncing off both posts before trickling into the back of the net. Yves Bissouma then turned the game on its head with an Alphonse Areola own goal moments later stretching their lead, while Son Heung-min grabbed a fourth.
The Spurs captain, making his first start in three weeks because of a hamstring injury, very nearly scored a second right after the restart, with a fierce attempt striking the post. Though there were no more goals, drama still arrived with Kudus sent-off for violent conduct after raising his hand at both Micky van de Ven and Pape Matar Sarr.
Although he was only on the pitch for 45 minutes, Tottenham's Senegalese midfielder endured an exhilarating afternoon. Prior to being in the red card drama, Sarr provided the assist for Son's goal with it clear he brought a strong energy to Spurs.
James Maddison, who set up Kulusevski for his goal, was the player subbed off for his arrival at half-time with Postecoglou, amid injury concerns, explaining that his switch was tactical. "I just felt West Ham ask you certain questions in midfield areas and I just felt Pape's running power would help us in the second half," he said.
"They obviously worked hard in the first half, and I thought he [Sarr] could give us some real energy. I thought he did really well and he gave us a platform to really threatening every time we want forward and clinical in our football." Kulusevski shared a similar belief to that of his Postecoglou with the 24-year-old issuing a brutally honest verdict.
"I think the [midfield] balance wasn't good enough, we were a little too offensive so we have to look into that and improve next game," he told TNT Sports. "It's hard to do both things all the time, so it was good that we got Pape in and I think he changed the game for us."
In the wake of the clash, Kulusevski also posted a Tottenham message on social media with several teammates praising his display. On Instagram, he captioned the post: "Dk tha..." while Dominic Solanke responded by adding; "Coldest!" with Sarr then also writing: "What a player."
Kulusevski's recent performances and honest words after the West Ham win could spell bad news for Maddison if Postecoglou reverts to a more defensive structure with the former having made the central attacking role his own.
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