Tottenham beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur have endured a difficult season at Hotspur Way. It has been one filled with injuries and uncertainty, but every now and then, a performance comes along that changes the narrative. And we saw one of those performances yesterday as the North Londoners got the better of German giants Borussia Dortmund on a 2-0 scoreline.
The narrative was that this was a must-win Champions League game for the Lilywhites to qualify for the last-16 of the European elite this season. But Thomas Frank was forced to patch together a starting eleven after a wide number of senior players missed the game for multiple reasons.
And just when the Premier League heavyweights were looking for an inspired performance, Wilson Odobert came along.
Odobert played on the right wing with an injury crisis at N17
The French winger delivered a performance full of intensity playing on the right flank (despite being a natural left winger). Given Kudus’ injury, he was forced out to the right. And that is where he produced a couple of assists and created four chances. The teenager was a constant threat down the right flank, which saw him get an 8.7 WhoScored rating.
At a time when Thomas Frank & Co. have been missing the majority of first-team players, Odobert came and showed exactly why he has been highly rated at Hotspur Way.
Tottenham went into yesterday’s game without all of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Micky van de Ven. Even Xavi Simons was nursing a knock. And going to the game, many were questioning where any sense of creativity will come from.
And Odobert stepped up. He was operating with a sense of freedom in the final third. The 21-year-old was a big problem for Dortmund’s defence to contain. He put it in the corner, where Romero met to score the first, and then the Frenchman delivered the cross, which Dominic Solanke slotted home for a goal.
Odobert had a fantastic game vs Dortmund
Beyond the numbers on board, it was his directness that was the highlight. He was always taking the ball, looking to drive at his man. You could see that clearly in the stats, where he stands with four successful dribbles, four chances created, 97% pass accuracy and a shot on target.
The current injury problems mean that Tottenham are quite short in wide and attacking midfield areas. And Odobert showed that he can operate on either flank. This would come in quite handy going into the Premier League games, as the roster at Hotspur Way is still stretched, and Frank will need someone to put his hand up to take the game to the opponents. And Odobert might just be that someone…
