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Player Watch: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

dtxspurs

Welcome to the Good Life
Dec 28, 2017
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I think it's very useful to have a player like him in the squad as he can slow the play down, pass under pressure and retain the ball. We don't have any other midfielders who have that same metronomic ability as Winks and he's great if you want to play keep-ball or hold onto a lead.

The problem is, when you put him in a 2 alongside another risk averse player like Sissoko, we don't have anyone to link the midfield and attack, and if you play him deeper he lacks the steel and defensive nous to properly cover the back 4.

Like you said, in the right system or squad he'd make more sense, but given our deficiencies and more reactive style of play his skillset just doesn't really suit us a lot of the time.

I think he should be a rotational squad player atm, and that seems to be how Jose is starting to use him.
Lo Celso can absolutely do that easily. Ndombele if fit easily as well.

Its really not that special of a skill.
 

DiVaio

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May 27, 2020
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From MikeMcGrath(Telegraph) today:
Ajax have also now shown interest in a £15million deal taking him to Holland and guaranteeing Champions League football, although it is understood staying in the Premier League is an attractive option for Hojbjerg which will play in Spurs’ favour.
 

Johno1470

The worst thing about prison was the dementors
Aug 6, 2018
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From MikeMcGrath(Telegraph) today:
We should be able to blow them out of the water with wages. I doubt they would even be able to cope with the wages Southampton are currently paying him.
 

emiley heskey

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Jul 3, 2020
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We value KWP at around 15m who is 22 years old Right back, Homegrown, has Long contract with Spurs. If we can straight forward swap KWP with Hojberg and then Swap Moura (35m rated) with Milik, then we will have two players whom we really need in the squad and sacrificed Moura in that process. Then if we can add someone like Grealish(My dream Signing for Spurs) or Willian for free, then we will have a better bench than this year. Only thing we will then need is a left footed centerback who can also play as LB and another right back option.

I really like Hojberg and think he will complement our team better than any other athletic DM that people want. Hojberg, Winks, Ndombele, Sissoko will be good options for the number 6 and number 8 role though we can really upgrade Sissoko as well.
 
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Timberwolf

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Jan 17, 2008
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Lo Celso can absolutely do that easily. Ndombele if fit easily as well.

Its really not that special of a skill.
Yeah that's fair, although Winks is especially good at just nipping around and making himself available. Lo Celso could do that job no problem but he does have more of a propensity to run with the ball, and his true gifts like elsewhere.

Back in the time of Dier, Wanyama and Dembele as our main midfield options, Winks was like a breath of fresh air as, for all of their respective talents, those 3 were pretty bad at moving the ball quickly and recycling possession.
 

HodisGawd

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Oct 3, 2005
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if we can add someone like Grealish(My dream Signing for Spurs)
I just think that ship has sailed. Sound like if we had tabled £20 for him last year he would have been ours. Now he's worth at least £40m and there's no way we'll pay it.

I rate the guy so much, he could have transformed us, but he'll go to Man U I reckon.
 

emiley heskey

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Jul 3, 2020
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I just think that ship has sailed. Sound like if we had tabled £20 for him last year he would have been ours. Now he's worth at least £40m and there's no way we'll pay it.

I rate the guy so much, he could have transformed us, but he'll go to Man U I reckon.

And he is a leader as well !!
 

WiganSpur

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Aug 31, 2012
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To be honest most of the issues I have with our midfield are when Sissoko and Dier play in it. Neither are natural midfield players since they don't show for the ball and treat it like a hot potato when they do get it. They're fundamentally not confident enough in their abilities as midfielders. Over the last couple of years we've suffered with at least one of them being mainstays in the middle of the park. What infuriates me is that neither Mourinho nor Pochettino appear to have seen how predictable, slow and unconfident we are building up in the midfield with either one or both of these two playing in it.

I don't have a major issue with Winks, he's fairly well rounded apart from his ability in the final third, but he does need the right partner next to him and he's never really had that at Spurs at all since for most of his time here both Dembele and Wanyama have been past it.

I think Hojbjerg and Winks would work fine as a hard working, neat and tidy partnership for example.
 
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doctor stefan Freud

the tired tread of sad biology
Sep 2, 2013
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To be honest most of the issues I have with our midfield are when Sissoko and Dier play in it. Neither are natural midfield players since they don't show for the ball and treat it like a hot potato when they do get it. They're fundamentally not confident enough in their abilities as midfielders. Over the last couple of years we've suffered with at least one of them being mainstays in the middle of the park. What infuriates me is that neither Mourinho nor Pochettino appear to have seen how predictable, slow and unconfident we are building up in the midfield with either one or both of these two playing in it.

I don't have a major issue with Winks, he's fairly well rounded apart from his ability in the final third, but he does need the right partner next to him and he's never really had that at Spurs at all since for most of his time here both Dembele and Wanyama have been past it.

I think Hojbjerg and Winks would work fine as a hard working, neat and tidy partnership for example.
I’ve always felt that Winks is best suited in a 433, with a number 6 beside/ behind him and a creative number 10 to play off him. I’d say we’d at least get a functional Winks in this set up, one comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas and busying himself. DM is a priority so I’d be surprised we upgrade on Winks as well, given the situation our finances are in. I’m still staggered we didn’t buy Sander Berge, a technical, physical machine with presence on the pitch, and he was available for 22 million
 

gavspur

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Jun 24, 2004
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I just think that ship has sailed. Sound like if we had tabled £20 for him last year he would have been ours. Now he's worth at least £40m and there's no way we'll pay it.

I rate the guy so much, he could have transformed us, but he'll go to Man U I reckon.

Id like him here too, he could potentially boost us Bruno has Utd - that also leaves me wondering where he’d play if he went to Utd. He’d have more opportunities here.
 

rawhide

I have issues...
Jan 28, 2011
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I’ve always felt that Winks is best suited in a 433, with a number 6 beside/ behind him and a creative number 10 to play off him. I’d say we’d at least get a functional Winks in this set up, one comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas and busying himself. DM is a priority so I’d be surprised we upgrade on Winks as well, given the situation our finances are in. I’m still staggered we didn’t buy Sander Berge, a technical, physical machine with presence on the pitch, and he was available for 22 million
I’ve always felt Winks is best suited in a tracksuit sat on the bench...

I joke, but he’s not progressing as we’d hope. I recall him bossing games in Europe (Real Madrid I think?) and I don’t see him doing that recently. Maybe the whole squad is a bit off the pace and not really as engaged as we’d hope.
 

rossdapep

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Aug 25, 2011
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I’ve always felt Winks is best suited in a tracksuit sat on the bench...

I joke, but he’s not progressing as we’d hope. I recall him bossing games in Europe (Real Madrid I think?) and I don’t see him doing that recently. Maybe the whole squad is a bit off the pace and not really as engaged as we’d hope.
From 2016-2018 we had two incredibly strong and very well positioned cms (Wanyama & Dembele) who both allowed other players to play more expressively and further up the pitch.

Now, Winks is playing deeper and has also being asked to do more screening and defensive duties. This isn't his ideal role.

But because we lost those two titans who ensured defensive resolve and control of the midfield, Winksy is unable to be freed up to do what he can do best.

Against Madrid he was popping up in the final third and in and around the box and was moving the ball really well.

Now he spends the majority of the game in his own half trying to drive out in transition.
 

Albertbarich

Well-Known Member
Jul 4, 2020
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I'm bored so I made a graphs with PL midfielders(+900 min,under 29). Data taken from FBref(StatsBomb).
Recoveries and Aerial Duels
Pressures
Tackles
Interceptions and clearances

Surprisingly he isn't above league average in pressures per 90(with adjusted team possession). There is only 3 midfielders above league average in every stats - Rodri, Fabinho and Kante.
That is great, thankyou.

What does everyone think of jefferson lerma at Bournemouth. I know he's a dirty so and so but haven't watched enough to know if he could do a job for us. With them going down we should be looking at them.
 

emiley heskey

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Jul 3, 2020
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That is great, thankyou.

What does everyone think of jefferson lerma at Bournemouth. I know he's a dirty so and so but haven't watched enough to know if he could do a job for us. With them going down we should be looking at them.

I prefer lewis cook from Bournemouth
 

Spurrific

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Jun 2, 2011
13,501
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That is great, thankyou.

What does everyone think of jefferson lerma at Bournemouth. I know he's a dirty so and so but haven't watched enough to know if he could do a job for us. With them going down we should be looking at them.

He’s one of the worst footballers currently playing in the top division for me
 

Japhet

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Aug 30, 2010
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Just having a laugh mate.

I like Winks but there's no denying he's not a great defensive midfielder. I'm fine with him playing alongside someone else if the game suits him or as part of a 3, just don't think we'll get anywhere with him or Sissoko as our deepest midfielder.

Absolutely, but instead of recruiting a proper DM to free Winks up to play as an 8, we bought 2 more 8s and pushed Winks down the order because he hadn't pulled up trees in an unfamiliar position at DM. Bit bonkers really.

Edit; We brought in 3 number 8s actually if you count Gedson Fernandes.
 
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GetSpurredOn

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Jun 18, 2006
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From 2016-2018 we had two incredibly strong and very well positioned cms (Wanyama & Dembele) who both allowed other players to play more expressively and further up the pitch.

Now, Winks is playing deeper and has also being asked to do more screening and defensive duties. This isn't his ideal role.

But because we lost those two titans who ensured defensive resolve and control of the midfield, Winksy is unable to be freed up to do what he can do best.

Against Madrid he was popping up in the final third and in and around the box and was moving the ball really well.

Now he spends the majority of the game in his own half trying to drive out in transition.

Absolutely this. We played, at our best, with a 6, 8 and 10 centrally, two hugely athletic wing backs, and two centre backs with great chemistry and footballing ability to defend centrally or wider areas with equal ease. The wheels came off as some of those components either left or lost some of their physical gifts. We didn’t replace like for like, and the balance has been completely lost. We’ve ended up with round pegs in square holes, then wonder why these players don’t look the same.

Dier, and latterly Wanyama as 6’s provided us a defensive screen who allowed the fullbacks to push on, safe in the knowledge that Defensive Midfield player would sit in and virtually create a back 3, such was the ability of Toby and Jan to slide over and cover the wider areas, solidity was maintained.
Dembele was imperious as a 6/8 hybrid, power and presence of a 6, but with the ability of an 8 to always show for the ball even when under pressure, and still promote the ball upfield, be that by carrying or passing. His role was ultimately to almost assist the assister.
The 10, be that Eriksen or Alli was then free to pick up pockets of space to do the damage. Play into Kane and look for the return, or feed the wing backs and look to follow up in the half spaces created by a retreating defence.

It worked because the relative skillsets for the individual roles were all in place. It started to go wrong as the players left of became less able physically. The loss of the athletic fullbacks meant we lost our width. Dier wasn’t the most mobile, but the others were, so it worked ok. When we lost the athleticism of Walker, Rose and to an extent Demebele, Dier then got exposed. This also placed more pressure on Toby and Jan to cover. Without the full backs lashing up and down the flanks, it then stopped pulling defenders across, and left the Eriksen/Alli spaces more congested, as such they became less effective.
Winks in effect was better suited to the Dembele role, someone to show for the ball and move it forward, always busy, but he’s ended up having to be the six, and it doesn’t suit his physical and technical abilities. As such he’s stalled. Sissoko was deemed to be the Dembele heir based on his physical attributes alone, but he doesn’t have the footballing skillset to really fulfil the role, he lacks decision making and execution. In Winks and Lo Celso, we have two eights, Alli and Ndombele we have two ‘10’s capable of doing damage on the edge of the box, but both need a proper 6 to free them up to play, and also athletic fullbacks to cath our attack and draw out defenders, thus creating space.
Hojberg looks like he could be part of the solution, but not alone.
 
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