Player Watch Player Watch: Giovani Lo Celso

[ralphs bald spot]

He looked to be one of the only ones actively trying to make things happen. When there are no other attacking options and you’re the only one trying to make things happen you can end up looking very poor. He, Sess and Gil were about the only ones trying be progressive.

I thought he was hiding he dropped really deep wasn't offering for the ball never made a telling pass all night - the midfield as a whole ended up being to far apart and not being available for the ball

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

This was a bit of a strange selection of players who clearly didn't gel. It's actually quite hard to judge individuals as the whole thing was a bit of a disjointed mess.

You put Locelso in the first team and he gets the ball, drives it forwards and is a very different player to what many saw today. I didn't think he was that bad at all. Put him alongside Hojbjerg / Skipp and it's very different.

Same for Sess, scarlett etc. This was a load of lads who lack competitive sharpness and any form of understanding as a unit.

The only players I really felt let themselves down were Carter vickers and Doherty. Not a good day for either.

 

[chas vs dave]

Looked like he was lacking match fitness.

 

[GLC10]

Ok. I’ve seen him play 5-6 PL games in all positions. I’m still to be convinced. I love the guy, I love that he loves Romero. But he’s been shit. For Spurs. Right?

The last two seasons have all been shit. Except for Kane and Son, the problem then is bigger than the performance of Lo Celso or Ndombele .. Since the Poch era, I still haven't seen good team football play.

 

[AtoubaToothpaste]

Since the Poch era, I still haven't seen good team football play.

Does the defeat of Man City this last Sunday not count?

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Ok. I’ve seen him play 5-6 PL games in all positions. I’m still to be convinced. I love the guy, I love that he loves Romero. But he’s been shit. For Spurs. Right?

He was widely considered to be our best and most creative player during the end of the 2019-20 season (post lockdown) - during a period when we produced our best run of PL performances since Dembele left and everything went to shit, and took 18 points from 9 games.
He then continued that form into the start of the following season, until he got injured, and hasn't gotten back to the same level since - but was less bad than numerous other players during the second half of last season.
If that's enough to write him off, then a lot of very successful players who started their Spurs careers slowly should also have been cast off before they overcame issues with form and injuries (e.g. Son, Dembele, Bale).

In a very negative Mourinho team, he was often the only player trying to create anything from midfield.

2019-20:
He signed during the August, so didn't get a proper pre-season .
He picked up an injury early in the season - probably due to the lack of pre-season - which many fans oddly chose to interpret as Poch telling the media he's injured to protect a new signing who was supposedly struggling to adapt...but was actually just injured and unavailable for selection.
Mourinho then came in and decided to make more use of Eriksen, who Poch had been using sparingly due to his desire to leave, which kept Lo Celso out of the starting XI once recovered from injury.
Lo Celso was a regular fixture in the starting XI after Eriksen left, but then we went into lockdown.
Post-lockdown, he was our best player.

2020-21:
Some very strong performances (particularly in the EL) during the crazy fixtures mess in Sept-Oct 2020.
He then got injured (probably because of overplaying at the start of the season) and injuries limited him to only 6 starts from the first 28 league games.
Brought straight back into the starting XI after 3 months out injured - despite us having won 3 of our previous 4 PL games without him (shows he had proven his worth to the manager).
Not at his best during the back-end of the season, but who was? It's difficult enough to play well in a team that's lacking morale even when you aren't trying to regain match fitness following a long spell out injured.

 

[GLC10]

Does the defeat of Man City this last Sunday not count?

It was a great victory, like some others, but far from playing good football and far from generating an illusion for the future. If it was a fighting team and once again Sonny saved us.

 

[Griff001]

It was a great victory, like some others, but far from playing good football and far from generating an illusion for the future. If it was a fighting team and once again Sonny saved us.

I'm sorry but that's simply not true, we outplayed City for the majority of that game.

Plenty of players had standout performances, not just Son.

 

[SandroClegane]

Glad no one's overreacting over one result

 

[bat-chain]

He'll come good.

Something was wrong tonight but it was so collective it almost can’t be put down just to them.

 

[Frozen_Waffles]

I didn't and still don't think he can play in a two (or in a three where he has to do a more defensive role).

With skipp and hoijberg he will do fine. But I still feel he doesn't influence games a lot.

Today's game he was very poor, but a lot of his play is linking up and creating, with a good team he will do fine.

Him or Dele in that box to box role is ok and where he plays for Argentina. Or as a the attacking midfield of a three.

If he doesn't have a good season or gets a few injuries, I do struggle to see how we will break down teams. Hopefully Bryan can add a bit as well.

 

[DannyNZ]

He was widely considered to be our best and most creative player during the end of the 2019-20 season (post lockdown) - during a period when we produced our best run of PL performances since Dembele left and everything went to shit, and took 18 points from 9 games.
He then continued that form into the start of the following season, until he got injured, and hasn't gotten back to the same level since - but was less bad than numerous other players during the second half of last season.
If that's enough to write him off, then a lot of very successful players who started their Spurs careers slowly should also have been cast off before they overcame issues with form and injuries (e.g. Son, Dembele, Bale).

In a very negative Mourinho team, he was often the only player trying to create anything from midfield.

2019-20:
He signed during the August, so didn't get a proper pre-season .
He picked up an injury early in the season - probably due to the lack of pre-season - which many fans oddly chose to interpret as Poch telling the media he's injured to protect a new signing who was supposedly struggling to adapt...but was actually just injured and unavailable for selection.
Mourinho then came in and decided to make more use of Eriksen, who Poch had been using sparingly due to his desire to leave, which kept Lo Celso out of the starting XI once recovered from injury.
Lo Celso was a regular fixture in the starting XI after Eriksen left, but then we went into lockdown.
Post-lockdown, he was our best player.

2020-21:
Some very strong performances (particularly in the EL) during the crazy fixtures mess in Sept-Oct 2020.
He then got injured (probably because of overplaying at the start of the season) and injuries limited him to only 6 starts from the first 28 league games.
Brought straight back into the starting XI after 3 months out injured - despite us having won 3 of our previous 4 PL games without him (shows he had proven his worth to the manager).
Not at his best during the back-end of the season, but who was? It's difficult enough to play well in a team that's lacking morale even when you aren't trying to regain match fitness following a long spell out injured.

That is far too rational, we tend not to require analysis or facts to base opinions. I agree with you and I’m in the school that we have a quality footballer in Gio and when he’s been right he has demonstrated that. Recently you only have to go back to the preseason game against Arsenal, first half our midfield was outplayed, Gio came on and we dominated thereafter.

 

[jolsnogross]

GLC hasn't demonstrated he's a 30M player - there were quotes of 55M at the time of getting him but I think the combination of loan to buy was closer to 30-35M. Either way, he's certainly not pulling trees and not really fulfilling his potential. He is a more credible candidate than N'dombele to prove his worth, but he needs to get a bit hungrier for a starting berth and not be in-and-out of the side so much.

We don't have many undroppable players at Spurs, and it's getting a bit tiresome.

And the idea that we should cash in on Kane because we'll use the proceed wisely is laughable. Keep the proven players we have and get better ones around them. Big season for GLC in this respect - I hope he becomes a mainstay in midfield but patience should not extend too far beyond this season if he can't cut it in the Prem.

 

[Nebby]

Very, very poor last night. Was supposed to provide the creative spark in midfield, but did very little and kept giving the ball away. His movement when Winks or the back three had the ball was poor, and he could have done a lot more to make himself available for an easy pass. The game was crying out for him and Winks to control possession for a spell. He just didn’t look interested.

 

[markt]

This was a bit of a strange selection of players who clearly didn't gel. It's actually quite hard to judge individuals as the whole thing was a bit of a disjointed mess.

You put Locelso in the first team and he gets the ball, drives it forwards and is a very different player to what many saw today. I didn't think he was that bad at all. Put him alongside Hojbjerg / Skipp and it's very different.

Same for Sess, scarlett etc. This was a load of lads who lack competitive sharpness and any form of understanding as a unit.

The only players I really felt let themselves down were Carter vickers and Doherty. Not a good day for either.

Could well be the case. I still would have liked to have seen more from him, but recognise he is not at match fitness yet.

Still I feel he has regressed from his first season with us, when he became a key player. I appreciate it with Winks and John we had little leadership in midfield, but no one seemed to be showing for the ball and our attacking players were starved. As a big money signing, I would have expected him to be a driving force in midfield.

 

[Delboy75]

Such a weird player. Seen him look world class at times, saying that more in a Argentina shirt than a Spurs one. Incredibly inconsistent. Definitely needs to get in a run of games. What keeps me believing is I’ve seen him be very good. But this season he has to make consistent mark or I would consider selling. Wonder if he’s just the next Lamela.

 

[Matthew]

Ndombele gets pelters (rightly so too)

But GLC has arguably done less in a Spurs shirt.

£100m wasted on both so far - what a farce.

both poch buys too, but we're not allowed to say that on this forum! hopefully paratici ha a better eye!

 

[Dzejkob]

I just think he is not the player we thought he is. He can dribble, drive forward, finish. He doesn't have great passing ability nor he dictate tempo of the game. To be honest I was expecting that from him but now, even watching him in Betis he just don't do that. He will not be Eriksen replacement. He is more Dele imho. People will say that's overreacting after one lose but I was thinking it before the season: we have mid-low table midfield. We lack quality there. No one with technical ability, good passing, someone to dictate the game from midfield. Ndombele can do that of course but I don't think anyone counts on him anymore.

 

[glacierSpurs]

We are always looking to Kane and Son as our only true sources of goals. Truth to be told, our midfield is undergoing such severe drought in scoring since after Poch that the most likely to score after Lucas and Bergwijn and is him. But he has zero threats at all in many games he had played for us since his move. Can't say I'm not disappointed TBH.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

Could well be the case. I still would have liked to have seen more from him, but recognise he is not at match fitness yet.

Still I feel he has regressed from his first season with us, when he became a key player. I appreciate it with Winks and John we had little leadership in midfield, but no one seemed to be showing for the ball and our attacking players were starved. As a big money signing, I would have expected him to be a driving force in midfield.

Can't argue with that assessment either. For me, he needs an injury free run and hopefully we will see the full potential. Its in there....!