Player Watch Player Watch: Oliver Skipp

[EQP]

I think this is the summer to sell him, or at a minimum loan him out. I don’t think he’ll get much of a look in this season so his stock won’t be any higher than it currently is. Hard worker, disciplined passer but doesn’t have the flair, athleticism and dynamism to be an elite level Premier League footballer. People said the same about Winks and look what happened; he got lapped.

Think Sarr has all the tools to be a better 6 and understudy for Bissouma

Not likely. From today's showing and from Ange's post match comments, he's firmly in his plans and it looks like he can only get better.

What did you make of Oliver Skipp?
He has been outstanding. Obviously he didn't have much of a break but since he's been in he's got bags of energy and he uses that really well. He maintains an intensity with and without the ball that makes him hard to contend with. He was outstanding tonight. He got a significant knock early but battled through it and that shows the character of him.

 

[soflapaul]

Cute Tweet from the Fighting Cock

 

[BorjeSpurs]

Lot of fans was overly harsh last season when he got more playing time when both Bentancur and Bissouma got season ending injuries.

He is an excellent squad player to have for Ange and bleeds Spurs.

 

[markt]

Skipp played well. Excellent pressing, great forward runs and progressive mentality and took his goals well.

I think sitting back at 6 he can get bypassed too easy, but further up the pitch pressing he is much better. I think 8 suits him more, just needs a little more consistency passing and add goals to his game. Really hoping that Barcelona performance gives him more confidence in this area.

People were way to quick to write him off. Definitely keen to see how he does under Ange. Unlikely to be a starter yet, but I think Barcelona game suggests we will sub our players for fresh legs much more often, given intensity we play at. Skipp and Lo Celso as regulars off the bench is not a bad place to be in.

 

[eViL]

Why is no one talking about our new goalscoring midfielder?

Haters gonna hate.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I'll be honest I really can't make my mind up on Skipp.

My gut has always been that he's not good enough and won't be.

He's another one of those combative midfielders who runs around a lot and puts in a lot of effort, scores the odd goal but fundamentally his passing, touch etc aren't the required level we need.

When he scored the 2 vs Barca I was like ah ok maybe he's proving me wrong but he follows it up with a fairly below par game against Brentford, not sure if it was because they'd watered the pitch etc but his touch was like a trampoline and he missplaced a fair few passes.

This is not so say I know best by any means and it is just my opinion but I played at a paid level and continue to coach in a paid role at academy level and without any data or anything its usually pretty easy to tell if a midfielder is going to make it right at the top level because of one simple test: when you watch them do they make the game look easy or not?

I can barely name any top top midfielders where it looked like it was hard work for them doing everything, even Roy Keane who was super combative also made his touch and passing look pretty easy on the eye, for example compare Skipp to Bissouma or Maddison or Bentancur, all different players I know but they all make the game look so easy, so did Modric, so did Carrick etc etc etc. Even Sarr who is 2 years his junior looks a lot more composed and better technically.

Happy if he proves me wrong and I know once Bentancur is back he will take his place anyway but if he wasn't homegrown I really wonder if we'd not be considering moving him on.

That being said he is still only 22 so absolutely fair enough to give him time to keep learning the game and developing technically and physically and tactically so I'm certainly not saying to get rid of him but I'm just not sure if he is going to end up being a top top player and a mainstay in our midfield longer term. I thought for example that when I watched Ryan Mason and Harry Winks at their best that both of them looked far more comfortable and more complete players than Skipp but just my opinion and still plenty of time and room for Skipp to keep improving for sure, will be interesting to see how he develops.

Really interested to know where others stand on him right now?

 

[spurmin]

I'll be honest I really can't make my mind up on Skipp.

My gut has always been that he's not good enough and won't be.

He's another one of those combative midfielders who runs around a lot and puts in a lot of effort, scores the odd goal but fundamentally his passing, touch etc aren't the required level we need.

When he scored the 2 vs Barca I was like ah ok maybe he's proving me wrong but he follows it up with a fairly below par game against Brentford, not sure if it was because they'd watered the pitch etc but his touch was like a trampoline and he missplaced a fair few passes.

This is not so say I know best by any means and it is just my opinion but I played at a paid level and continue to coach in a paid role at academy level and without any data or anything its usually pretty easy to tell if a midfielder is going to make it right at the top level because of one simple test: when you watch them do they make the game look easy or not?

I can barely name any top top midfielders where it looked like it was hard work for them doing everything, for example compare Skipp to Bissouma or Maddison or Bentancur, all different players I know but they all make the game look so easy, so did Modric, so did Carrick etc etc etc. Even Sarr who is 2 years his junior looks a lot more composed and better technically.

Happy if he proves me wrong and I know once Bentancur is back he will take his place anyway but if he wasn't homegrown I really wonder if we'd not be considering moving him on.

That being said he is still only 22 so absolutely fair enough to give him time to keep learning the game and developing technically and physically and tactically so I'm certainly not saying to get rid of him but I'm just not sure if he is going to end up being a top top player and a mainstay in our midfield longer term. I thought for example that when I watched Ryan Mason and Harry Winks at their best that both of them looked far more comfortable and more complete players than Skipp but just my opinion.

Really interested to know where others stand on him right now?

The important person that you need to know where they stand is Ange Postecoglou.
If he thinks he’s good enough then he’s good enough.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

The important person that you need to know where they stand is Ange Postecoglou.

Yep obviously haha.

Right now it seems its between Skipp and Sarr for that 2nd n.o8 role but once Bentancur is back he will take it or he'll play 6 and Biss 8 so then next Q becomes will Ange look to sign another CM like Gallagher or Hatate etc and if so will they replace GLC or PEH, if they replace PEH then I don't see Skipp getting much gametime but also fine as he's still 22 so can continue to develop whereas Bentancur Biss and Maddison are slightly older and more experienced and imo better quality at this moment.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

He should be close to the finished article at 22, when you look at the likes of Caicedo (21) and Bellingham (20) transferring for £100m+. I struggle to be convinced that he is better option than Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr and Hjobjerg, who IMO are superior to Skipp, restricting his chances of making the starting X1 a wee bit slim, when everyone else is fit.

 

[spursville]

He should be close to the finished article at 22, when you look at the likes of Caicedo (21) and Bellingham (20) transferring for £100m+. I struggle to be convinced that he is better option than Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr and Hjobjerg, who IMO are superior to Skipp, restricting his chances of making the starting X1 a wee bit slim, when everyone else is fit.

Not sure every player is the finished article at 22 especially in CM. I guess we need HG players and he's effectively cost us nothing but academy development time/money. Right now we have too many other priorities and we're just too keen to balance the books rather than move him on and replace with a better quality HG player.

 

[djhotspur]

He’s not good enough in that 8 role. He doesn’t offer anything in attack and the game just passed him by. We need better as it makes us more ineffective

 

[McFlash]

He should be close to the finished article at 22, when you look at the likes of Caicedo (21) and Bellingham (20) transferring for £100m+. I struggle to be convinced that he is better option than Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr and Hjobjerg, who IMO are superior to Skipp, restricting his chances of making the starting X1 a wee bit slim, when everyone else is fit.

We can't have a squad full of starters, we need a few capable players who can come in, follow the managers instructions and do a job.
Skipp is fine for that, especially as we've still got bigger issues that need fixing than midfield.
He's a young and capable defensive midfielder, who deserves a place in the squad at the very least.

Players develop differently and you've also got to consider that he lost a fair old chunk of his development time due to injury.
I think he deserves another couple of years at least to progress.


And I think comparing him to two 100m players is a bit unfair.
Bellingham is a freak and I'm not sure that Caicedo is worth that sort of money yet.

 

[mpickard2087]

I've said a few times now, but for me if we were going to experiment with him in a new position I'd have given him a go in the "Emerson role" as that tucked in Right Back. Can't ever see that 8/10 role being for him.

 

[Jamturk]

He’s not good enough in that 8 role. He doesn’t offer anything in attack and the game just passed him by. We need better as it makes us more ineffective

The same thing happened against Barca but he popped up with the 2 goals and everything was seemingly alright.

Sarr in his games has been heavily involved and a major part of our play, was unlucky to lose his place. Even yesterday he came on and got involved well.

 

[Hoopspur]

I would like another (leader) star player to play with our 2 very good players. Whether someone like Barella or a player emerging like Gallagher (imo).
Don’t get me wrong Skippy is an ok player and probably a good fit for a lot of sides but I’m talking about the need for an excellent player.

I can’t but help think that Ollie fits into the category of a lot of players we have had, even more recently, who are not that 5% better.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I've said a few times now, but for me if we were going to experiment with him in a new position I'd have given him a go in the "Emerson role" as that tucked in Right Back. Can't ever see that 8/10 role being for him.

Interesting idea for sure and that’s a classic move for a DM not getting games or considered quite good enough to dominate at CM (P.Neville springs to mind), Owen Hargreaves also had a stint at RB although imo he was a very very good player.

Personally I don’t think Skipp would suit the inverted RB role under Ange at all, he’s no where near fast enough for a start, I don’t think his passing in tight areas and under pressure is that good and he makes quite a lot of fouls and mistimed tackles all a recipe for disaster in that position imo.

He certainly isn’t and won’t ever be a n.o10, box to box combative n.o8 sure, n.o6 maybe at a lower level but at PL level I think he’d get caught on the ball far too often as he doesn’t have the speed of foot and awareness of a Bissouma or Bentancur.

I think we keep going with him as a HG squad player and see how he continues to develop as he’s only 22 but right now I don’t think he should be a starter for us, certainly not when Bentancur is back but until then he, PEH and Sarr all have pros and cons and are around a similar level.

 

[JacoZA]

I think Skipp will end up being a player who divides opinions - if he isn’t already. Personally, I think he is capable of a good range of passing and pretty decent vision. Not the silkiest, but maybe he’s a hard work rather than pure talent kind of player. He also seems to be very highly regarded by managers, which we know from direct quotes and ITK. And he has a great attitude - returning early from holiday for pre-season with Ange is a small thing that says a lot.

But, like I say, I think he will divide opinion, more by the nature of what role he plays rather than how well he plays it. Either way, I don’t think we should be drawing hard conclusions on any player after pre-season and one competitive match under Ange.

 

[Frank Blank]

Lot of fans was overly harsh last season when he got more playing time when both Bentancur and Bissouma got season ending injuries.

He is an excellent squad player to have for Ange and bleeds Spurs.

I certainly can't argue with that. Assuming PEH is off and we have, in effect, six players competing for, or being rotated into, three positions, Skipp adds a slightly different dimension. I'd rather have six 'different type' players competing with one another, rather than six clones, because you have to be able to adapt to what the opposition throws at you and there are times when we will need a Skipp type player in the middle of the park.

 

[Flobadob]

I'll be honest I really can't make my mind up on Skipp.

My gut has always been that he's not good enough and won't be.

He's another one of those combative midfielders who runs around a lot and puts in a lot of effort, scores the odd goal but fundamentally his passing, touch etc aren't the required level we need.

When he scored the 2 vs Barca I was like ah ok maybe he's proving me wrong but he follows it up with a fairly below par game against Brentford, not sure if it was because they'd watered the pitch etc but his touch was like a trampoline and he missplaced a fair few passes.

This is not so say I know best by any means and it is just my opinion but I played at a paid level and continue to coach in a paid role at academy level and without any data or anything its usually pretty easy to tell if a midfielder is going to make it right at the top level because of one simple test: when you watch them do they make the game look easy or not?

I can barely name any top top midfielders where it looked like it was hard work for them doing everything, even Roy Keane who was super combative also made his touch and passing look pretty easy on the eye, for example compare Skipp to Bissouma or Maddison or Bentancur, all different players I know but they all make the game look so easy, so did Modric, so did Carrick etc etc etc. Even Sarr who is 2 years his junior looks a lot more composed and better technically.

Happy if he proves me wrong and I know once Bentancur is back he will take his place anyway but if he wasn't homegrown I really wonder if we'd not be considering moving him on.

That being said he is still only 22 so absolutely fair enough to give him time to keep learning the game and developing technically and physically and tactically so I'm certainly not saying to get rid of him but I'm just not sure if he is going to end up being a top top player and a mainstay in our midfield longer term. I thought for example that when I watched Ryan Mason and Harry Winks at their best that both of them looked far more comfortable and more complete players than Skipp but just my opinion and still plenty of time and room for Skipp to keep improving for sure, will be interesting to see how he develops.

Really interested to know where others stand on him right now?

On the ball I agree with everything you’ve said about Skipp. His technique is just not quite what it should be for a lad that’s spent his whole life in an academy. It feels and looks like he has to focus entirely when he takes a first touch and his passing seems the same way, where you’d expect a player that’s done that day in day out their entire life to make that stuff look effortless and most PL midfielders do.

However I do think the thing that saves him is he makes off the ball work that other players make look hard look very easy. He knows exactly when to engage when teams counter and which channels and passing lanes to close off, when he’s fit he’s got a real burst of pace (he’s looking fitter now actually going by pre-season) and he times tackles incredibly well. I think physically he’s very decent, he covers a lot of ground and has that short burst of pace that can make all the difference and mentally in terms of reading the game defensively I think he’s very good, he’s got a really high IQ. Technically he is lacking though, I agree with you and I do see what you see in that regard.

 

[newbie]

He should be close to the finished article at 22, when you look at the likes of Caicedo (21) and Bellingham (20) transferring for £100m+. I struggle to be convinced that he is better option than Bissouma, Bentancur, Sarr and Hjobjerg, who IMO are superior to Skipp, restricting his chances of making the starting X1 a wee bit slim, when everyone else is fit.

I think his a different player to Hjoberg, Sarr and Los his far more combative, away to Brentford I t made sense.

I like Sarr I think we have a really talented bunch of young men coming though