Journalist James Maw has suggested that the Tottenham centre-backs were hesitant to pass to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on a couple of occasions against Fulham on Monday night.
Yves Bissouma has undoubtedly been one of Tottenham’s best performers this season and his ability to handle the ball in tight areas and to carry the ball out defence has been crucial to Ange Postecoglou’s side.
The Mali international was always going to be a big miss against Fulham after receiving a red card against Luton Town but to Hojbjerg’s credit, he slotted seamlessly into midfield, helping the home side emerge 2-0 winners on the night.
Postecoglou singled out the Dane for praise in his post-match press conference, remarking that the experienced midfielder was quite calm on the ball (Football.London).
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 19: Yves Bissouma of Tottenham Hotspur controls the ball (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Spurs changed their style slightly for Hojbjerg
However, Maw felt that Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were not as confident playing the ball to Hojbjerg as they are giving it to Bissouma.
The journalist said on The Athletic’s The View From The Lane Podcast: “Yeah, there were a couple of moments when you could see the centre-backs looking to play out and then realise it was [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg and then kind of reshape and then play a slightly different pass.
“But yeah, he was incredibly good and I think it sends a kind of message to those other fringe players that you may not play a game for or start a game for however many weeks but you will get an opportunity eventually and it is possible to play very well.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Hojbjerg’s strengths are different to Bissouma’s and the Dane is obviously not as press-resistant as the Mali international, which might have been why Romero and Van de Ven did not want to put him in a tight spot.
Having said that, the 28-year-old’s decision-making on the ball, including the timing and choice of his passes, as well as his positioning off the ball, are arguably superior to Bissouma’s.
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