Dejan Kulusevski shone as brightly as any player on the pitch as Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester City to send the English champions crashing out of the Carabao Cup. It was a statement result and performance by the North London side and helped prove Ange Postecoglou is still pointing Spurs in the right direction.
Kulusevski assisted both of Tottenham’s two goals and was a creative force through the centre of the pitch. This has been a common sight at various points this season with the Swedish international back in favour having been a peripheral figure earlier in his Spurs career. Now, Tottenham need Kulusevski for his unique skillset.
Last season, Postecoglou favoured Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr as a pairing in central midfield. This gave Tottenham structure and defensive fibre, but sometimes limited what it could do in a creative and attacking sense. This is what presumably led Postecoglou to look for different solutions in the middle of the pitch.
This season, Postecoglou has shifted into a midfield three with Kulusevski part of the trio. Previously, the 24-year-old has been viewed as a wide player or someone to be deployed in behind a central striker. Now, Kulusevski has responsibilities on both sides of the ball. He is growing with almost every match he is playing this season.
Some criticism came Kulusevski’s way after his underwhelming performance in Tottenham’s recent defeat to Crystal Palace. The 1-0 loss was yet another momentum-halting moment in Spurs’ stop-start season and many supporters pointed the figure at Kulusevski.
Against City just a few days later, though, he was outstanding. Alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Sarr in the midfield trio, Kulusevski was an effective valve as Tottenham moved from defence into attack with ease throughout the match. Manchester City couldn’t get a grip of him. Kulusevski is learning lessons game-to-game.
“I think Deki is growing but I think that’s kind of where we are as a group,” said Postecoglou. “A lot of them are growing and growing through experiences. I think for Deki at the weekend was another growth period because he got hurt pretty early and wasn’t happy with it. In many respects, he lost a bit of his composure after that and that’s another growth for him.”
Postecoglou is right to point out that Tottenham as a whole is in a development phase at this moment in time. The Australian has instilled a set of principles that he hopes will allow Spurs to continue to build for the future and Kulusevski is a player responding well to the guidance of his manager.