Mourinho So Happy for Multi-functional Tottenham Hotspur Star

Following the Tottenham Hotspur win over Royal Antwerp, José Mourinho was quite pleased with the performance of one Giovani Lo Celso and let us know.

Giovani Lo Celso took a little while to get going for Tottenham Hotspur last season coming over on loan and eventually a permanent transfer from Real Bettis. Despite, finding form as the season went on, an injury ahead of this campaign has delayed the Argentine’s return to top form. After the performance on Thursday evening, it sounds like his coach thinks Lo Celso is getting close.

Patience with the Process

José Mourinho said that he “told (the media) at the beginning of the season that we needed to wait a little bit for him (Lo Cleso)”, as midfielder recovered from an early injury. The coach continued, that “today he was strong, he last for 90 minutes with good intensity”.

That intensity complimented what Mourinho called a “technical quality performance but also a physical performance” from the Argentine midfielder. After three straight starts in all competitions, as Mourinho said, “step-by-step” the Giovani that “last season appeared and stayed” is returning.

The patience required to this point was also needed by Lo Celso himself as Mourinho acknowledged that “basically Sissoko, Ndombele, and Højbjerg were play well” so the chances for Gio in the Premier League have been limited. Ultimately, the patience everybody has had with Gio is starting to pay off as he was excellent today.

Lo Celso Leads the Charge

Giovani Lo Celso was the best player on the pitch today for either team. His 9.44 rating from whoscored.com underscores just how impactful Lo Celso’s all-around game was. Gio had the second goal, which was one of four shots total – 2 on target.

Additionally, Gio contributed 4 crosses – corners help – and led the team in touches while completing almost 83% of his passes. These were not your run of the mill sideways or backwards passes either, as Giovani led all players with 4 key passes on the night.

Of course, it is not the offense that gets the coaches attention either, as Lo Celso contributed on both ends of the pitch. This effort on both ends was not unnoticed by José who noted that Gio is “very multifunctional, he can play in different positions”. With 3 tackles and an interception, plus two fouls for good measure, Lo Celso worked hard to provide a defensive presence in the midfield. Højbjerg he is not defensively, but neither is the Dane offensively.

On a night when not too many Tottenham players particularly stood out, Giovani Lo Celso was clearly better than all the rest and a big reason Spurs won 2-0. Seemingly a long time coming, Mourinho said he was “so happy for him” and his success on the night, as that is “the Gio that we love”. And that is certainly something we can all agree with José Mourinho on.