MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham’s stunning win at Manchester City saw Harry Kane return to form and a star emerge in Dejan Kulusevski.
The Swede netted the opener and set up Kane’s dramatic stoppage-time winner in the 3-2 victory on his first Premier League start for the club.
The January recruit joined from Juventus on an initial 18-month loan deal, with an option to sign permanently.
As Antonio Conte’s side travel to Burnley for tomorrow night’s league encounter, we assess how important Kulusevski’s arrival could be to Spurs’ push for the top four.
Instant impact
It took just four minutes for Kulusevski to score on his full debut as Heung-Min Son selflessly set him up to slot into an empty net.
That was the perfect beginning for the 21-year-old but it was a game where most of his work was done off the ball.
He covered just over 13km over the 90 minutes and made 20 sprints — the most for any player in the game.
With the ball, he only attempted 22 passes but completed 19 of them.
His most telling contribution being the inch-perfect cross for Kane to attack and head Spurs back into the lead at the death.
Feeling right at home
Boss Conte often talks about the need for his players to suffer if they are to be successful under him.
After struggling in recent months at Juve, Kulusevski is already enjoying the Italian’s win at all costs style of management.
He said: “It’s wonderful, because Conte only wants to win and if he doesn’t win, he is not happy.
“We work really hard and that is what we need, there are no other secrets.
“You have to work hard and listen to the coach. If you listen to him, you can do well.”
In a separate interview after the game, he added: “It shows that hard work pays off and after this feeling you want more. You want to be back out there tomorrow, you want to work even harder, because it’s a wonderful feeling.
“We can improve a lot, but we were very good tonight, and we have to enjoy this. It was amazing to be with the fans. They have welcomed me very nicely, I’m so happy to be here and I want to make them proud.”
Pep’s praise
For so long, Son and Kane have carried Spurs’ attacking threat with other players drifting in and out of form.
Playing as one of two No10s behind Kane, Kulusevski looked the sort of talent who may help take the load off them on a regular basis.
Unsurprisingly, Conte was pleased with his new signing: “For sure, Kulusevski played an amazing game.
“He’s only 21 years old, but despite this, he has good experience, because when you play with Juventus you have to manage a lot of pressure in Italy. He’s a good signing for us.”
But it was Pep Guardiola’s comments after the game that also spoke volumes for the Swede’s threat as he namechecked him alongside his famous team-mates.
“They are clinical. They have Kane and Son and Kulusevski. Their crosses we could not defend,” the Spaniard said.
Premier League ready
Kulusevski is not the first Tottenham player to impress immediately after signing — Steven Bergwijn scored on his debut against City in February 2020 but has failed to build on that start.
There is certainly a feeling that the Swede is more suited to the English top-flight than the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil and Tanguy Ndombele — all players who departed North London last month while Kulusevski was welcomed to the club.
Conte hailed the Stockholm-born forward’s physical attributes on Saturday evening and his running stats show a player willing to do the hard yards.
That helped him win the ball back seven times for Spurs, bettered only by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, while he made two clearances, two headed clearances, two tackles and an interception at the Etihad.
The pressure cooker of the Premier League did not faze him either, with former Spurs striker Garth Crooks among his admirers.
Crooks wrote: “The Swede looked extremely comfortable and took his goal calmly and with the minimum of fuss.
“What I like about this kid is he doesn’t seem in the least bit excitable and may prove to be a valuable addition to Antonio Conte’s new-look Tottenham.”
Backing it up
If Conte is to mastermind an assault on the top-four spots, his team will need more displays of Saturday’s nature, rather than the showings that resulted in consecutive league defeats against Chelsea, Southampton and Wolves.
Alongside fellow January signing Rodrigo Bentancur, Kulusevski can provide new energy and quality to the Italian’s squad.
And even if they fall short this season, at 21 and with a desire to work hard, the Swede looks to be exactly the sort of signing Spurs need to prioritise as they rebuild after a difficult couple of seasons.
