Tottenham Hotspur have rekindled a small flame of hope in the Premier League, their hard-earned point at Liverpool on Sunday giving Igor Tudor a platform to build on over the final few months of the season.
This has been an abject year for those of a Spurs persuasion, and while the vestiges of a Champions League campaign can be found days ahead in the return leg of their last 16 tie against Atletico Madrid.
Even the most fruitful Tottenham supporters would be surprised to see their side overturn the three-goal deficit and advance to the quarter-finals, and focus must be fixed on surviving the Premier League storm and avoiding relegation.
However, injuries abound at N17, and it’s in the centre of the park where alarm bells are blaring.
Spurs’ midfield injury crisis
Tottenham have absences in every department, but they withstood Liverpool’s pressure without Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, and both of the club’s star defenders should be back in contention for the crucial Premier League clash against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.
However, the crisis is deeper in the middle of the park, with neither Dejan Kulusevski or James Maddison expected to return from the injuries they picked up last year before the end of the season.
Yves Bissouma and Conor Gallagher both got themselves ruled out at the weekend, but Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray were both excellent in their senior peers’ absences.
However, Tudor will need more depth to survive of the dogfight ahead, and he could find the answer to his troubles in a youngster who has recently made his name known to Lilywhites supporters.
Spurs’ academy talent could be a hero
Tottenham don’t have many options available. In fact, against Liverpool, Tudor had to contend with as many as 13 first-team players being injured.
They had to make do, and Tudor unleashed 19-year-old Callum Olusesi for only his senior senior appearance in the closing stages, the youngster featuring for the final 14 minutes plus six minutes of stoppage time.
Olusesi had previously made his senior bow in the Europa League last term and had sat through every single one of the Londoners’ Champions League fixtures this year as an unused substitute, but this was a more prominent role.
Against Liverpool, the dynamic midfielder completed all eight of his attempted passes, making two recoveries and three carries. Those statistics do little to tell of Olusesi’s composure and presence on the ball, certainly looking at ease as his outfit chased down an equaliser and found one at the eleventh hour.
His versatile could be his secret weapon over the final few months of the season. He can play in advanced positions, offering plenty from an attacking sense, and he can dig deeper and utilise his physicality and ball-playing crispness too.
|
Callum Olusesi’s Career Stats by Position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Apps |
Goals + Assists |
|
Central midfield |
37 |
13 + 6 |
|
Defensive midfield |
19 |
4 + 0 |
|
Attacking midfield |
8 |
3 + 1 |
|
Centre-forward |
2 |
0 + 0 |
|
Right winger |
1 |
0 + 0 |
In this, Olusesi might end up ousting Gallagher ahead of the summer break, with the former Chelsea midfielder struggling since arriving from Atletico Madrid for a £35m fee in January.
Hailed as being a part of a “special generation” of youth talent in north London by scout Jacek Kulig, Olusesi could provide Tottenham with the uplift they need over the business months of the season, maybe even rekindling the identity and connection with the fanbase that has got somewhat lost in recent months.
Last season, Olusesi put his name on the map, playing a role in the club’s Europa League-winning campaign.
Now, he’s going from strength to strength at the perfect time, and he could be a difference-maker, earning more minutes and easing the need for a signing like Gallagher who has thus far failed to perform or connect with the wider Spurs system.
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Tottenham stayed ahead (marginally) in the battle against relegation by claiming a point at Anfield.