Tottenham had a disappointing draw against Leicester City in their Premier League opener and would have wanted to bounce back with a solid performance against Everton. The Toffees were coming off a 3-0 humiliation to Brighton.
Here is how we thought Ange Postecoglou would line up in the game against Everton. The Australian gaffer surprised everyone with his selection, going with Odobert from the start and starting Kulusevski in midfield.
Excellent start to the game for Tottenham in a similar manner to the Leicester game. Got an early lead through Yves Bissouma who scored a screamer. Doubled their lead through a Pickford mistake. Brilliant first half from Spurs except for their vulnerability whilst defending set pieces.
GK | Guglielmo Vicario (7/10): Good first 45 from the Italian. A couple of good saves, on-point distribution and more assured than usual in the box.
RB | Pedro Porro (7.5/10): Spanish magician! Brilliant first half as always. Porro can consider himself lucky to be left off by VAR after what appeared to be a careless elbow in the 80th minute.
CB | Cristian Romero (7/10): Much more solid than the first game. Could have scored early on and switched on defensively.
CB | Micky van de Ven (7.5/10): Survived an injury scare in an otherwise solid display. He also made an impact drive forward in the second half, setting up Son Heung-min for Spurs’ fourth on the night.
LB | Destiny Udogie (6/10): Very involved as always but didn’t create much.
CDM | Yves Bissouma (9/10): What a spectacular hit to mark his comeback. Marshalled the team brilliantly as the sole #6 in the first half.
CM | James Maddison (8/10): Madders is back. Controlled the game beautifully in the first half. Should have scored minutes into the second. His pin-point corner saw Cristian Romero head home to make it 3-0 on the night.
CM | Dejan Kulusevski (8.5/10): Brilliant interchange with Johnson to tee up Bissouma for his goal. Best Spurs player of the first half.
RW | Brennan Johnson (6/10): Retained his place in the XI despite a poor showing against the Foxes. Decision-making needs to improve. Missed yet another easy ball into the box.
ST | Son Heung-min CAPTAIN (7.5/10): Predator instincts to charge down Pickford and steal the ball for an easy tap-in. He doubled his goal tally for the night after latching onto Van de Ven’s pass and putting the ball past Jordan Pickford.
LW | Wilson Odobert (7/10): Surprise debut handed by Ange. Electric in the early minutes. Almost Doku-esque in the way he plays. Fizzled out as the first half went on. Made an awful mistake in the second half.
Substitutes:
Richarlison => Wilson Odobert (6/10): Never quite got into the game and must do much better if he wants to command a starting spot.
Archie Gray => Yves Bissouma (6/10): Still getting used to the rigours of the Premier League. However, Gray appears nonplussed by the challenge.
Pape Matar Sarr => Dejan Kulusevski (6/10): Not the most spectacular of performances. But did little wrong on the night.
Lucas Bergvall => James Maddison (6/10): He failed to mirror Maddison’s impact and did little of note in an otherwise already settled result.
Djed Spence => Destiny Udogie (6/10): Spence kept things simple and did not get caught out as Everton chased a late consolation.
What about Ange Postecoglou?
Such a brave line-up from Big Ange, starting Odobert and deploying Kulusevski and Maddison in midfield. Every single call he made turned to gold in the first half with his team putting an excellent display. He got his subs spot on as Tottenham secured their first win of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
