Ange Postecoglou may just have found his perfect midfield partner for James Maddison at Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur picked up a 5-1 win over Singapore Premier League outfit Lion City Sailors in a pre-season friendly today and Giovani Lo Celso caught the eye once again.
Ange Postecoglou named a midfield of James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma for the first-half, with Lo Celso coming off the bench for the second period like he did against West Ham last week.
Spurs fell behind in the 13th minute of the game as Lion City Sailors hit them against the run of play. Harry Kane found an equaliser from the spot just before half-time after Sarr was fouled inside the penalty area.
But it was the second-half when the floodgates opened for Tottenham and despite Richarlison stealing the show with a hat-trick, Lo Celso’s display will have certainly caught Postecoglou’s eye.
Lo Celso was expected to move on this summer after failing to break into the Spurs side under Antonio Conte. The Argentine has spent the past 18 months on loan at Villarreal and impressed in La Liga once again.
But based on his last two displays for Spurs, he may just be the perfect player to line up alongside James Maddison in midfield.
Lo Celso got on the scoresheet once again today after netting against West Ham last week. The 27-year-old linked up brilliantly with the likes of Ivan Perisic and Sergio Reguilon down the left-hand side.
He looked like a constant threat for Spurs and produced some brilliant moments in and around the opposition’s penalty area.
Of course, Postecoglou is yet to play the Argentina international alongside Maddison. But Lo Celso has certainly impressed the most out of Spurs’ midfield options during pre-season so far.
Tottenham Hotspur v Lion City Sailors – Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images
The Aussie boss plays with a deeper-lying midfielder and two advanced No8s, with Yves Bissouma looking set to take up the No6 role.
But Lo Celso’s displays have shown he could be ideal man to play alongside Maddison in one of the more advanced roles.
Maddison also impressed in the first-half today and while Sarr put in another encouraging performance, Lo Celso has thrived under Postecoglou so far.
