Giovani Lo Celso in action against Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve, a match where he set up two of his side’s three goals. Photograph: Andrew Kearns/CameraSport/Getty Images

Giovani Lo Celso has gone from Spurs’ forgotten midfielder to their key man

This article is more than 3 months old

The Argentinian star went into the season way down the pecking order but has tenaciously come to the fore

In pre-season, Tanguy Ndombele was the Tottenham player tipped to be handed another chance by Ange Postecoglou. The Frenchman is blessed with ample talent but his application is found wanting. Mauricio Pochettino, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte have all failed to manage the midfielder. Nothing changed under Postecoglou, and Spurs’ club-record signing was shipped off to Galatasaray on loan.

Tottenham have an incredibly bloated squad that needs trimming. Ndombele, Japhet Tanganga and Sergio Reguilón all departed on loan last summer, though the latter has returned to the club. Hugo Lloris left for LAFC last weekhaving dropped down the goalkeeping pecking order while Eric Dier is unlikely to be on the books for much longer as the club pursues the services of Genoa’s Radu Dragusin. Giovani Lo Celso could have fallen into the same bracket but the Argentinian has gone from forgotten midfielder to key man in a few short weeks.

Few could have foreseen Lo Celso having such an impact at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season. He was the one who impressed Postecoglou back in the summer and so the manager elected to retain the 27-year-old’s services rather than allow him to leave. However, Lo Celso faced a number of hurdles in order to re-establish himself at Spurs.

Who’s missing? The Premier League players off to Afcon and Asian Cup

James Maddison joined from Leicester over the summer and his impact upon his arrival meant he would be one of the first names on the teamsheet when fit. Postecoglou has also settled on his first choice deeper-lying central midfield pairing of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr. With Rodrigo Bentancur and Oliver Skipp also on the books, Postecoglou isn’t short of central midfield options and he had a settled XI up until November. Then disaster struck as Spurs played out a 4-1 loss at home to Chelsea, ending with nine players on the pitch.

Maddison sustained an ankle injury and hasn’t played since. Sarr then picked up a knock in the November international break and would miss the first game back following the domestic hiatus, against Aston Villa, that Bissouma was suspended for. This was the game that would propel Lo Celso back into the spotlight. Spurs would lose to Villa but the Argentina international capitalised on the perfect absentee storm to force his way back to the forefront of Postecoglou’s thoughts.

Lo Celso scored Spurs’ goal in the 2-1 defeat to Unai Emery’s side, remarkably just his second Premier League strike following his 2019 arrival from Real Betis, and followed that up with a goal in the entertaining 3-3 draw at Manchester City last month. A brace of assists in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve confirmed what a number of supporters already suspected – when fit, Lo Celso needs to start.

There is of course a cavaet to this. Postecoglou already has his settled midfield trio but there is an argument to suggest Lo Celso can play every midfield role in the Australian’s system rather than be pigeonholed into one specific position. As noted against Bournemouth, Lo Celso is able to pry apart defences superbly. Take his assist for Son Heung-Min’s strike against Bournemouth. The outside-of-the-boot-pass for the South Korean to run on to was, dare we say it, Luka Modric-esque.

Giovani Lo Celso fires in for Tottenham in the 3-3 draw against Manchester City last month. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

Only Maddison (3.1) is averaging more key passes per 90 minutes than Lo Celso (2.4) of all Spurs players this season. It’s worth noting too that the former is on set-piece duties when fit which has boosted his numbers with the latter able to provide the chances for teammates from open play, which is key for a Spurs side that boasts speedy attacking outlets.

Against Villa and City, meanwhile, Lo Celso was deployed in a deeper role. Standing at just 5ft 8in, he isn’t the most intimidating midfielder but his tenacity makes up for his standing. Indeed, only Bissouma (3.7) is making more tackles per 90 minutes than Lo Celso (3.5) of all players for the north London side in England’s top tier this term. Able to frequently pick out a teammate with ease, he is more than capable of carrying out multiple duties no matter his starting position. This versatility is a desirable asset in a team where each midfielder has a designated duty but the flexibility means Lo Celso can be used in a number of roles at any given time.

While Postecoglou has his settled XI when everyone is fit and available, at least up to the Chelsea debacle, Lo Celso exploited the absence of key teammates to force his way back into the reckoning. With both Sarr and Bissouma on international with Senegal and Mail, respectively, for the Africa Cup of Nations, and skipper Son also absent for the foreseeable future at the Asian Cup, Lo Celso will get plenty of minutes under his belt over the coming weeks.

He’s already used their respective absences to his advantage. Who is to say they won’t struggle for minutes upon their return to Hotspur Way with Lo Celso set to go to great lengths to really nail down his spot in the starting XI?