Takeaways from the win over West Ham United

On Saturday afternoon, Spurs got back to winning ways with a 4-1 win over West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite going behind to an early goal from Mohammed Kudus.

So, what did we learn from the game, what were we reminded of, and what were the main takeaways?

Firstly, Pape Matar Sarr could be someone who begins to get more regular game time in the Premier League. The Senegalese midfielder backed up a really good performance for his country in midweek with a really good second half showing yesterday.

Having come on for James Maddison at half-time, there were plenty of eyebrows raised at that change, with some seeing it as a bit pragmatic considering Spurs were not ahead – very unlike Ange. That too, and Maddison had created five chances in the first half.

However, Sarr’s performance was electric. He gave so much energy in the midfield, and was able to consistently break up play. His raking cross field ball for Son ended up with the captain making it 4-1, putting any chance of a slip up beyond doubt.

The midfielder completed 19/19 passes, won 4/6 ground duels, made one clearance, two tackles, and blocked a shot in his 45 minutes on the pitch. This cameo has left fans thinking if he had come on against Brighton and Hove Albion, the collapse may not have ended up happening.

Next up – whilst you can appreciate that Ange likes to use inverted full-backs – Destiny Udogie really does need license to be high and wide at times. This probably goes under “what were we reminded of” rather than “what did we learn”, with this being mentioned a few times in the past.

The Italian defender was a high flying wing-back when playing in Italy, and his pace and trickery can be a serious threat from wide areas. For the Yves Bissouma goal, Udogie made a superb run in behind from a Son pass, before having to composure to cut the ball back for Bissouma to finish.

 Whilst he wasn’t really wide for this goal, and had made a run into the box, it still happened to be from the left side of the box, and it’s those sort of runs in behind that he should have license to do on a regular basis.

Finally, it is that Dejan Kulusevski is most certainly, undeniably, now a number eight. His form there has just been absolutely ridiculous, and he showed it again yesterday. Not even just his goal – before that, he was the only Spurs player that had been capable of taking West Ham players out of the game with his ball carrying and movement.

Although there are differences between the two players, it does feel similar to Bernardo Silva, who at first played on the right-wing a lot, before it became clear he was better centrally, as the right sided central midfielder. Whilst he has played right-wing since then, it is still clear he is better in midfield – much like Kulusevski.