One of the hot topics of the 24/25 season so far is just how good Dejan Kulusevsi has been. Since Ange moved him to a deeper, right sided number eight role, he has been absolutely thriving and has consistently been a difference maker in the midfield.
In the win over Manchester United in September, Kulusevski broke a record for most chances created by an opposition player at Old Trafford. His goal against West Ham at the weekend set Spurs on their way to three points.
The data provided by the always excellent DataMB has backed up what we have seen so far this season – that Kulusevski is operating on an absolutely incredible level.
Their data has stated that, when compared to other Premier League players – Kulusevski is number one for; key passes, progressive runs, accelerations, deep completions, dribbles per 90, and offensive duels per 90. He is also number one in Europe for all of the first four statistics.
When compared to Cole Palmer of Chelsea, someone playing in a similar type of role, Kulusevski’s percentile is higher for; defensive actions, progressive carries, forward pass %, and key passes.
It really does feel crazy to think that for so long in his Spurs career, Kulusevski was played out on the wing. He showed during James Maddison’s time on the sidelines last season that he was capable in central areas, and showed in pre-season this year that his best highlights would be from those sort of positions.
Even when Maddison was out of form when he was back from injury, Ange seemed reluctant to play Kulusevski in the middle. In the end, he’s decided to play the both of them in midfield, and it has generally worked so far.
Interestingly enough, Ange’s side did improve when Maddison was taken off at half-time against West Ham. Whilst that is no slight on him at all, the balance to the team in the second half, with a midfield of Bissouma, Sarr, and Kulusevski, has been well discoursed within the fanbase.
Should Ange go with Bissouma and Sarr in the midfield with the Swedish international, there could be even more license for him. Not just in terms of on ball responsibility in terms of dropping deep and getting on the ball, but having two top athletes and ball winners gives him even more freedom.
For now, it does feel like the “double 8” duo of Maddison and Kulusevski has been too good not to continue with, but in certain games, and in certain gamestates – we could see Sarr in there too.