Tottenham supporters came into the new campaign with optimism of securing a top-four berth. Signings such as Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke were exciting but we’re yet to see the best of either of them.
Gray’s minutes have been limited and Solanke has missed two of the first three fixtures due to injury.
Combine that injury blow with a tally of four points from a possible nine and it’s a dingy old start to the season for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
They only have themselves to blame for Sunday’s result, though. Missed chances and defensive errors saw Newcastle United make they pay, securing a 2-1 victory at St James’ Park.
Cuti Romero was caught out of position for both goals and Destiny Udogie, in his attempts to halt Jacob Murphy before he supplied Alexandre Isak for his goal, was too weak.
Though, they weren’t the only ones on the away side to let the side down.
Wilson Odobert’s performance in numbers
The teenager’s arrival from Burnley in the final few weeks of the transfer window caught everyone off guard. This wasn’t a deal that had been reported to be on the cards so it happened out of nowhere.
Tottenham were delighted to secure their man, bringing him in from Burnley for a fee of £25m. The wide player started his first match against Everton last weekend but has only shown flashes of his true capabilities so far.
He looks exciting and he looks keen to make an impact, yet the Frenchman is lacking that cutting edge to really impact games in a positive manner.
That was summed up well by Football.London’s Alasdair Gold. Handing him a 5/10 match rating, the reporter noted that the Frenchman had ‘plenty of threat but needs to turn that into a final pass’.
Missing a glorious opportunity to score, Odobert would go on to make just one key pass during a performance that flattered to deceive.
With plenty of players waiting in the wingers from an attacking perspective, it may not be a surprise if he’s on the bench for the north London derby in two weeks.
The best replacements for Wilson Odobert
The beauty about Tottenham’s options in the final third is that many of them can play in different positions on the pitch. It’s a fluid frontline and that’s what makes Postecoglou’s options so dangerous.
Brennan Johnson – who played a crucial role in Dan Burn’s own goal – should start the derby given his roaring impact on Tyneside this afternoon and there’s also the possibility of Timo Werner coming into the side.
If Solanke is back fit as well then the two wide options may well be Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski instead.
That feels like the most menacing and threatening front three that Postecoglou could field. After all, he needs players capable of producing magic moments against an Arsenal defence who don’t concede many goals.
They are yet to concede with 11 men on the field this season and have only shipped once during their first three matches. As such, Odobert, who is lacking a cutting edge right now, doesn’t feel like he’d be the answer.
Tottenham fans would no doubt love to see him make an impact but for that clash, it’s perhaps better if the Aussie boss opts for more experience.
