Destiny Udogie could have some real competition for his place in the Tottenham team next season if Johan Lange can bring in a new left-back for Ange Postecoglou
It was all a bit too simple for Nottingham Forest as Tottenham allowed Nuno Espirito Santo’s team back into the contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Spurs had taken the lead courtesy of Murillo’s own goal but in the 27th minute the visitors restored parity through Chris Wood.
Barely threatening up until that point with Tottenham on top and going very close to doubling their advantage as Brennan Johnson forced Matz Sels into action, Forest opened the hosts up with ease as the experienced striker swept the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Anthony Elanga and Neco Williams teamed up down Spurs’ left flank, with the former then squaring for Wood to equalise.
From a Tottenham perspective it was a very poor goal to concede. Destiny Udogie had left a huge gap at left-back that Elanga and Williams exploited, thus seeing Micky van de Ven come across to cover for his teammate and then Cristian Romero do likewise for the Dutchman.
Even after Elanga had played in Williams, Udogie elected to go and help Van de Ven up against the right-back rather than track Elanga’s run. The Tottenham left-back’s role in Forest’s equaliser was highlighted and it was brought up during Sky Sports’ half-time coverage.
“I did a game a few weeks ago, the Fulham game, and he gets caught. He does this a lot. He ball-watches, Destiny Udogie,” explained former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp. Udogie was much better for Spurs after the restart, both in terms of attacking and also defensively as he got to grips with Forest’s forays down his side of the pitch.
In his first season in the Tottenham first team, the 21-year-old has made a real name for himself and proved time and time again that he is going to be a huge part of the club’s future going forward. Udogie has all the qualities to be a huge success in Ange Postecoglou’s setup and the best thing about him is that he is only going to get even better.
Udogie can improve going forward and the same goes for his defensive play as he has been found out of position at times throughout the term. It must also be remembered that the player is 21 years of age, he’s in his first season in the Premier League and he’s also trying to adapt to a new way of football under Postecoglou that is quite hard to master.
His form is going to fluctuate from time to time, with Sunday’s win over Forest a rare off day for the player in what has been an excellent debut campaign in N17. One thing that Johan Lange and Tottenham do need to do to help Udogie from next term onwards is bring in a left-back who can really challenge him for his first-team spot.
At present, Tottenham do not have an alternative to the player at left-back. Ben Davies and Emerson Royal have filled in well in Udogie’s position at times this season but they do not possess the necessary qualities that mean Spurs have a like-for-like replacement for the Italian international when he is absent.
Tottenham do look a different side, especially down the left flank, when Udogie is not in the side and they need to ensure that isn’t the case in the months ahead. The Lilywhites have enjoyed two very strong transfer windows since Postecoglou took on the hotseat last June and his third transfer window is going to be key as the club aim to climb the league table and compete for major honours on a regular basis.
Certain areas in the Tottenham squad do need strengthening, including a new left-back and ideally an alternative for Pedro Porro at right-back. Udogie having direct competition for his place in the team should keep him on his toes and also improve his game and take him to new levels altogether.
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