Thrust back into action after more than a year away from regular playing time, Oliver Skipp showed several positive signs for Tottenham in the win over West Ham.
With Rodrigo Bentancur out for the rest of the campaign and Yves Bissouma out for at least another month, Tottenham Hotspur must rely on other midfielders. While both Pape Matar Sarr and Skipp performed well midweek in Milan, it was Skippy who got the nod against the Hammers at the weekend, and the lad showed he deserved it. While his performance was not perfect, there were several positives to take away.
Positive One: Skipp was all over the field and available for Tottenham teammates
There was a lot to like about Skipp’s performance against West Ham, which all started with his movement in the midfield. One thing you rarely saw over the 85+ minute shift Skippy put in was the midfielder walking. Throughout the match, Skipp was all action.
Whether chasing down a ball and putting in a sliding challenge or running to create a passing angle for a teammate, Skipp was on the move. The short runs to create passing lanes cannot be underestimated, as his movement gave his defensive teammates a consistent outlet against a pressing Hammer’s team.
The movement in the middle of the park leads to more movement in other parts of the pitch, and as we all know, it was the movement that killed West Ham on Sunday. Skippy didn’t play a role in either goal, but his availability and movement made the team flow.
Positive Two: Skipp was predictably unpredictable with the ball
Besides being an outlet to receive the ball, Skipp also worked to be unpredictable. Against the Hammers, Skipp was as likely to play a one-touch pass back to the person who played him the ball as he was to control the ball, turn and push the ball across the pitch or forward between the lines.
Players usually play the obvious pass in front of them, and sometimes Skipp did just that. However, Skipp often looked for space with the ball, whether forward, backward, or sideways; he was looking to do something the defense might not suspect with the ball. While unsuccessful, Skipp tried a little chip into the box for Harry Kane, which was overhit, but a welcome sign of something different in and around the penalty area for Tottenham.
Positive Three: Skipp played with intelligent aggression
One of the more difficult factors for Skipp on Sunday was that he picked up a yellow card less than 10 minutes into the match. For many players, especially younger players, that yellow card would severely limit their actions for the rest of the game.
That was not the case with Skipp. Despite the lingering possibility of being sent off, Skipp played his game his way. Three of his four official tackles came after the yellow card, including some significant challenges fighting for 50/50 balls, where a mistake could be costly (Whoscored.com). Instead, Skipp was perfect on the day with his tackling and maybe even felt hard done to get the yellow to begin with. Regardless, the card had no negative impact on his play, and he did what needed to be done defensively without any hesitation.
Positive Four: Hojbjerg and Skipp looked like a natural pairing again
Although Sarr was arguably the best player for Tottenham against Milan, the decision was to start Skipp next to Pierre Hojbjerg, with the Dane returning from his Champions League absence. As the game wore on, it was obvious the decision was good, not because Sarr could not have performed but because Skipp and Hojbjerg looked very natural playing together.
It is hard to remember, but for the first half of last season, he started midfield for most Spurs games was Hojbjerg and Skipp until the latter picked up an injury, which, along with Bentancur, has kept Skippy out of action for the most part. Finally back on the pitch from the start with Hojbjerg, the two players looked like a string attached them as one, or the other was always back and available for the defense and participating in driving the ball forward.
Moving forward, we will likely see a lot of Sarr, Skipp, and Hojbjerg, and after Sunday’s performance, we can all feel good about what Skipp will bring to the table.