Article by Marc AshedFollow e-Spurs on Twitter!
Louis Van Gaal is likely to be the next manager of Tottenham Hotspur. If you want to argue with that, then stop reading the article. One player that Van Gaal refers to on his star-studded national team as "irreplaceable" is Kevin Strootman. It is easy to see why. Strootman possesses a unique combination of power, skill and intelligence. He was at the middle of everything for Roma before his knee injury and his value was even higher to the Oranje and looked to be one of the leaders in their World Cup campaign. It is highly unlikely that Strootman will leave Roma since he is injured and they will be a Champions League team next year therefore we need to look either across Europe or internally for LVG's Tottenham "Kevin Strootman".
Enter Lewis Holtby. German Under 21 captain, all action midfielder, currently on loan due to Tim Sherwood's love of Nabil Bentaleb and what I feel was a personal bias since Holtby was an "AVB-player". Holtby quickly won over all of the fans with his passion and energetic displays and at Fulham, we are seeing the versatility and balance that he can bring to a side. He was often deployed in the no. 10 role for Spurs but he plays a slightly different role for Fulham and is excelling. According to Squawka, in his match against Everton, Holtby completed a massive 11 tackles – the highest total by any player in the league this season. He has also created 11 chances over the last 3 games and is the focal point in Fulham's attack, whether it is from deep or closer to the striker. Putting in such an impressive defensive display against a top 4 team is nothing to scoff at. At Spurs, Holtby was also 2nd in tackles per 90 (behind Mousa Dembele).
In a 3 man midfield, it is easy to see Holtby's ability to bring balance to a Eriksen and Sandro trio. Dembele is the strongest dribbler and tackler but not an effective passer, creator or much of anything in the final 3rd. Paulinho is able to score and make late runs into the box but doesnt bring an attack/defense balance that Holtby can.
Can Lewis Holtby fill in the "Kevin Strootman" role that LVG craves from his midfield?
Would love to hear your thoughts and comments at either @e_spurs or @GhostOfVDV
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I haven't seen anything yet from Holtby that would make me think he could be that player. He is a great option in the number 10 role and if we could find a way to combine the talents of him and Eriksen in one side then we will be looking good for the future.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely wish that spurs don't let Holtby go, I'd love to see spurs have a bit of believe and play, Lloris, 3 at the back: Walker Chiriches Kaboul then a 5 midfield of Lamela Holtby Sandro Dembele Ericksen and any of these in 2 up front Adebayor Soldado Kane.
ReplyDeletesub Capoue Paulinho Vertongen
I don't really know Strootman but Lewis certainly has a part to play. Would rather him in the team atm than Paulinho who, in my opinion, offers very little.
ReplyDeleteI could see him in a midfield 3 with Eriksen, either side of a DM like Sandro or Capoue