Ange Postecoglou’s 3 Spurs undroppables vs Sheffield Utd amid Richarlison call

James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on September 2, 2023 in Burnley, England.

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison is one star that Ange Postecoglou must keep in his starting XI against Sheffield United this weekend.

Life under Ange Postecoglou has been something of a dream for Tottenham supporters. Unbeaten in their first four league matches with only a penalty shootout loss in the Carabao Cup second round against Fulham to really put a stain on the season so far.

Big wins over Manchester United and Bournemouth followed up by a 5-2 thrashing of Burnley before the international break has really put what the Australian can do into the spotlight, showing those who thought his background of Japanese, Aussie and Scottish football saw him ill-equipped for the Premier League. But he’s anything but.

It’s the antithesis of the madness that was Antonio Conte’s final few weeks at the club, from the hilarious press conference answers to the silky football on the pitch. Spurs fans should be hailing this man for turning around what was a shocking end to last season into what they’re currently watching.

With that being said, here’s three ways Postecoglou can continue this winning feeling as he welcomes Paul Heckingbottom’s Blades this weekend…

Keep the midfield dominance

I don’t think any team in the league has dominated the middle of the park as effortlessly as Spurs have so far this season. Yves Bissouma just feels like a cheat code with the types of passes he can pull off.

With some of the best passing and defensive statistics across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the 27-year-old has linked perfectly in the centre with Pape Matar Sarr as the pair look to be a fantastic tandem for the Spurs boss to utilise going forward. The 21-year-old Senegalese midfielder found his first goal for the club against Manchester United in the 2-0 win, and has slotted nicely into Postecoglou’s plans for the future.

Sarr has the fourth most Shot-Creating Actions (SCA) in the squad so far this season with 12, only behind Dejan Kulusevski (14), Son Heung-min (21) and James Maddison (25) – all of whom have played at least a full 90 minutes than him. Both will no doubt be key parts of Spurs’ attempt to keep this chase for a title going for as long as they can.

Maddison masterclasses

The England international has continued to be the talisman he has been known to be for Leicester City over the past few years and has taken like a duck to water after signing for Spurs this summer. Two goals and two assists in his first four matches has proven the £40million fee was all worth it – and other teams will be scratching their heads as to why they didn’t bother fronting up the cash instead.

His dead-ball specialty has been vital to their chance creation over the first few matches of the campaign, no better highlighted than by his first free kick in a Spurs shirt which Cristian Romero nodded in their opening weekend game against Brentford. Keeping him fit and healthy will be necessary though.

There’s already been a few times this season already where he’s had injury scares, including once where he left the stadium in a protective boot but ended up playing – and scoring – in the next game against Burnley. Making sure he’s 100 per cent for the big games, even if it means resting him for parts of the smaller ones, should be a priority but while he’s good to go, keep him in and let him fly.

Have patience with Richarlison

Seeing the Brazilian in tears after being substituted during his country’s 5-1 win over Bolivia during the international break was sad to say the least and now the 26-year-old has claimed he’ll see out ‘psychological help’ upon his return to England. Postecoglou confirmed as much in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, saying: “We provide all the support and whatever the players need.

“Sometimes they seek it, sometimes we offer help. So whatever Richy needs, we’ll help him get to the space he wants to. From our perspective he’s put it out there because he was quite emotional after the game. And we’ll give him the support he needs. But we do that with all players and I think most professional clubs do.”

He’s still searching for that elusive second goal in the Premier League in a Spurs shirt and whilst he did find the back of the net in the League Cup against Fulham, goalscorers are always hungry, especially when they’ve been out of form for a prolonged period.

Whether the boss chooses to rest Richarlison or not will be a decision he has to make quickly, but facing a side that are already facing the threat of relegation, it could be a good fixture for him to pick up some form be it off the bench or over a full 90 minutes.