Pierre-Emile Højbjerg was brought to Tottenham Hotspur this summer to provide defensive cover for the backline and win the ball, he has done so much more.
When Tottenham Hotspur made Pierre-Emile Højbjerg the first signing of their summer, it did not raise a lot of eyebrows, as the Dane seemed to simply fill a need at defensive midfield for Spurs. Nor did the move win a lot of plaudits, as Pierre Højbjerg was seen as a stopper and not much more. Known for his ability to win the ball back and protect the defense, the move made little splash.
Tottenham Hotspur have a couple global superstars – Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane – and a third – Jose Mourinho – if you include the staff. Spurs also have some incredibly talented players with amazing skills and ability in Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Gareth Bale, and Erik Lamela, among others. Tottenham even have a World Cup winning captain in team captain Hugo Lloris. Regardless, the heartbeat of this team is Pierre Højbjerg.
Now several months into the season, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has been a lot more than advertised. So much more that despite the brilliance of Harry Kane the contributions of Pierre Højbjerg maybe more critical to the overall success of Tottenham than the goals and assists of their talisman. Afterall someone must protect the defense and distribute the ball and Højbjerg does both.
What we have seen through the first months of the season is a complete box-to-box midfielder. A box-to-box midfielder who happens to be exceptionally good at defense, and apparently a whole lot more. Whether it is passing, or touches, or pressures or tackles, Højbjerg is main cog in the Tottenham engine.
Højbjerg Demands the Ball
To say Pierre-Emile Højbjerg demands the ball may be an understatement. In fact, from most statistical perspectives Højbjerg has dominated possession of the ball. Through ten appearances in all competitions (note Europa League qualifying was NOT in the data set from fbref.com) Højbjerg has amassed 741 touches, far and away the most on the team. Currently Matt Doherty is second on the team with 456 touches, at 285 more touches, Højbjerg has 62.5% more touches on the season than Doherty, incredible.
There are three reasons for all these touches. First, is the minutes played, at some 764 minutes in 10 appearances, second only to Hugo Lloris, Højbjerg gets lots of opportunities to get the ball. Second, is Højbjerg is a terrific target man. Whether going wide to split the center-half and fullback, between the center-halves, or combining with the #10 Højbjerg is a target.
Højbjerg has been targeted on 567 passes already this season. Son is second on the team at just 364. Third, are the defensive plays, which create new possession which we will talk more about later. Bottom line whether it is Højbjerg finding the ball or the ball finding him, he has it a LOT. What is key here, is Højbjerg seems to know what to do with the ball when he gets it.
Højbjerg’s Passing Fancy
The good new is Højbjerg is a far better passer than he has ever shown to be prior in his career with Tottenham. Prior to this season, the best passing season in his career was only 82.9 % on some 1123 passes for Southampton in 2017-18 according to fbref.com. For Tottenham this season, Højbjerg is second on the team in completion percentage at 89.9% having attempted more than 50% of that 1123 with 670 attempts.
Moussa Sissoko is currently the percentage completion leader for Spurs thus far on the season at 90.5%. However, Sissoko has made far fewer passes than Højbjerg has. Pierre has completed more than twice as many passes as Sissoko has attempted, so it is hard to say Højbjerg has not been the best. If you dig deeper into these numbers Højbjerg is even more impressive in comparison to the rest of the team, particularly in advancing the football.
Højbjerg, has completed more than 90% of both his short and medium length passes, which includes anything under 30 yards. These are the kind of passes you expect most quality midfielders to make and not surprisingly Højbjerg leads the team in both attempts and completions, but not percentages here.
However, Højbjerg makes an even greater contribution with his long passing game. Only Eric Dier has attempted (117) and completed (90) more long passes than Højbjerg and completes them at an impressive 76% clip. In comparison Højbjerg has completed 89 long balls on just 111 attempts for an impressive 80.2%. That percentage is second on the team to Dele Alli. However, Dele has only attempted 7 such passes completing six for his impressive percentage of 86%. Again, Højbjerg is our clubhouse leader.
All this add up to a ton of forward movement for Tottenham. Yes, Højbjerg goes backwards and side-to-side sometimes, but he far outpaces everyone on the team in both progressive distance (yards forward) and progressive passes (10+ Yards into attacking third). Højbjerg pushes the ball forward so much, he has passed the ball further yards forward this season than Hugo Lloris – who routinely gets some 60+ yards on his passes from goal. Bottom line, Højbjerg is a much better passer than he has shown in the past and those passes make Tottenham tick. Of course, he is good at defense too.
Højbjerg the Defensive Fulcrum for Tottenham
HotspurHQ have covered how the midfielders are deployed, so we will try not to rehash that here. However, it is important to understand that beyond the focal point of the passing game, Højbjerg, is the most productive player defensively too and it starts with being an excellent ball winner.
Winning the ball and possession back was one of the main reasons Tottenham Hotspur signed Pierre Højbjerg and he has not disappointed thus far. Not surprisingly, Højbjerg is first on the team in combined tackles and interceptions with 30 in his 10 appearances. That total is more than double second place Matt Doherty and Harry Winks who each have 14 tackles + interceptions.
What is special about Højbjerg is that while Winks and Doherty each have 13 tackles and one interception; Højbjerg has 23 tackles – first on the team by 10 over the duo – and 7 interceptions. The 7 interceptions are second only to Sissoko who has 9, but fewer tackles. Højbjerg is that rare player who can anticipate the pass and intercept just as well as he can bring the tackle.
Of course, tackles and interceptions are not everything defensively, particularly when pressure is often the name of the game. From a pressure perspective only Heung-Min Son has applied more pressure on opponents and of course no one has more successfully helped Spurs get the ball back from a pressure situation with 39 successful pressures in 129 attempts than Højbjerg. Son has 33 wins in 136 attempts and then comes Kane with 28 and 94. Once again Højbjerg helps set the pace. All this defensive effort leads to what Spurs signed Højbjerg for which is ball recovery. Højbjerg has recovered loose balls for Tottenham 106 times already this season, 33 more times than second place Davinson Sanchez.
Just as Højbjerg is a magnet for the gall offensively in the passing game, he is a magnet for the ball defensively. It is that defensive magnetism that often leads to the offensive chances and progressive passes with the opposition off balance. The more Højbjerg can continue to do the more Spurs will continue to succeed. All of that is rather good for a stopper and makes Højbjerg as important to Tottenham as talisman Harry Kane.