Tottenham vs. Arsenal: What made Wanyama’s performance so wondrous
By Gary Pearson
Victor Wanyama showed once more how well-rounded a footballer he is in his man of the match performance against Arsenal on Sunday.
And he picked the perfect match to further demonstrate his comprehensive skill set.
Wanyama hasn’t played to his lofty potential since recently returning from a back ailment. Any footballer, regardless of the severity, will attest to the teething problems associated with returning from injury.
But derby day proved he is back at his best.
Spurs resident bodyguard
A live wire for the duration, Wanyama expertly fulfilled his defensive responsibilities. He made two tackles and three interceptions.
To give you some context, Hull City center back Curtis Davies intercepts play 2.5 times per match, the highest ratio of any Premier League player in the current campaign.
But Wanyama doesn’t play on a team battling to survive the Premier League drop. He has far fewer opportunities to break up play, particularly considering Spurs enjoyed over 51 percent possession.
He must be perpetually alert and capitalize on any opportunity that comes his way, even with diminished odds of success.
While impressive, those are the kind of numbers you’d expect from our resident bodyguard. He’s paid to be the gate keeper, to protect the back four and break up threatening attacks.
A calming presence in possession
But what made his performance so venerable is how the Kenyan performed in possession. He was calm and composed with the ball at his feet, splitting Arsenal apart with incisive and deadly accurate passing.
According to WhoScored.com, he completed 51 passes and enjoyed a passing accuracy of 88 percent. Three of his four long balls hit the mark and the one through ball he attempted was right on the money.
Next: Tottenham vs. Arsenal: A personal reflection from inside the Lane on derby day
His 74 touches were the second most of any Tottenham player. Only Ben Davies, with 91, had more. And it would be remiss not to mention his piercing shot on target, which was flying into the top corner had it not been for Petr Cech’s acrobatic intervention.
Wanyama, like a strong whisky at end of a stressful day, injects a sense of pervading calmness when in possession. He has earned the trust his reliability on the ball is indicative of.
It’s not easy for a holding midfielder to achieve man of the match honours when you share the pitch with Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min.
It does, however, attract added consideration when it happens. It makes the accomplishment standout, garnering deserved supplementary admiration from pundits and fans alike.