Player Watch Player Watch: Oliver Skipp
- Thread starter Dharmabum
- Start date
Hakkz
Svensk hetsporre
- Jul 6, 2012
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Hopefully far far away.
Duke of Northumberland
Well-Known Member
- Apr 4, 2019
- 675
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I was thinking that- you could see him tested in a friendly as a back-up to Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips
Westmorlandspur
Well-Known Member
- Feb 1, 2013
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Unless there are injuries can’t see Skippy getting into the squad until after the World Cup when Henderson will probably be phased out as he will be 32 plus by then.
You can see him growing into his position in the last two games.
You can see him growing into his position in the last two games.
Wig
Well-Known Member
- May 23, 2018
- 2,841
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Tricky for a defensive midfielder to be recognised, compared to attacking players like Smith Rowe for example.
- Aug 9, 2008
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TheVoiceofReason
Well-Known Member
- Feb 5, 2005
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I’m sorry to put a negative spin on it but you look at that performance next to what is considered a ‘good’ performance from Winks and it’s a completely different ballgame.
More players like Skippy please!
eViL
Oliver Skipp's Dad
- May 15, 2004
- 5,841
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This and that early burst past Gilmore was Skippy's 'inner Gazza' peaking out.
I think this kid might surprise even some of his staunchest supporters.
Danny1
Well-Known Member
- Dec 6, 2006
- 5,697
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Skipp is a fantastic footballer with an even better mentality. He will go to the very top as he has a huge amount of talent and all the required mental tools to make it happen. If we were linked to a 21 year old centre midfielder from, La Liga or another top league, that had his highlight reels from the last 2 games we would all be rubbing our hands together.
Keep it up Skippy, future captain.
Keep it up Skippy, future captain.
rossdapep
Well-Known Member
- Aug 25, 2011
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A lot of people rightly noted how our passing was slow and not firm enough. Skippy shows that with the platform he can definitely fizz passes into teammates.
We really don't know his ceiling yet but i would think that under Conte's tutelage, it's so much more. He plays well above his age and i'm starting to think between his work rate and football IQ, we may have a player for years to come in him.
Tottenham_God
Well-Known Member
- Nov 6, 2011
- 2,940
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Yeah, we absolutely do. I've played 5 seasons with him as my main pivot on FM and he grows substantially and becomes my captain.
So yeah, God has spoken
Ron Burgundy
SC Supporter
- Jun 19, 2008
- 7,765
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That sounds quite dodgy
EQP
EQP
- Sep 1, 2013
- 8,069
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From December 3rd but a decent read.
Skipp shows he can help solve Tottenham’s midfield creativity problems
By Charlie Eccleshare Dec 3, 2021
Solving Spurs’ creativity issue from midfield was always going to be one of Antonio Conte’s biggest challenges.
This is a team, after all, that in their new head coach’s second league game in charge extended their run without a goal to more than six hours and spell without an effort on target to more than four and a half hours.
The most obvious solution in the current squad looks to be Tanguy Ndombele, who it is hoped can eventually play a similar role to the one performed by Cesc Fabregas for Conte’s Chelsea, but he’s played just five Premier League minutes in the Italian’s three games so far.
Giovani Lo Celso is another option, but he’s been unavailable through injury for most of Conte’s first month in north London and has failed to ever fully convince in his two and a half years at Spurs. The squad’s other central attacking midfielder, Dele Alli, is also yet to start for Conte in the league.
Step forward then Oliver Skipp, who for Thursday’s 2-0 win over Brentford was tasked with providing the creative spark from midfield that Tottenham have so often lacked. There will be far sterner tests ahead, but the 21-year-old’s energetic performance was still extremely encouraging.
He took the game to Brentford and was deservedly named man of the match by Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle, who said on Amazon Prime Video’s broadcast of the match: “It was the best game that I have seen him play for Tottenham. He is growing as a player.”
Skipp does look like he is evolving — or possibly reverting to how he used to play at academy level.
Back then, he often played more as a No 8, and last night it was striking how much more advanced he was than usual, and how much more he was looking to pass forwards.
Skipp ended the Brentford game with two chances created, doubling his tally for the Premier League season so far, and hugely improving on an average of 0.2 per 90 minutes prior to this match. During Conte’s predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo’s brief reign, he didn’t create a single chance in the league.
Skipp’s tweaked role was also reflected in the fact he got on the ball a lot less last night, making 49 passes per 90 minutes compared to the 59 per 90 he had averaged this season going into the game.
Over the course of a 25-minute period either side of half-time, Skipp put in a dangerous cross that Sergio Reguilon headed over, created a one-on-one for Harry Kane with an excellent through ball and then played the latter in again before the England striker crossed to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who missed from close range. The Dane also deserves a mention for a disciplined display that allowed Skipp to frequently get forward.
Overall, Spurs’ greater invention from midfield was reflected in the fact they created their most big chances in a Premier League game this season (four) and posted their highest expected goals (xG) with 2.16.
Skipp may not end up being a long-term solution in a more advanced role, and many supporters would rather Conte finds a way to make it work with Ndombele there. And/or that they bring in a shiny new signing, either in January or the summer.
One or both of those things may happen but while he plays a central midfield two, Conte feels he needs the security of Skipp and Hojbjerg to protect a defence that has been far from water-tight over the last couple of years.
It’s also encouraging to think that if Conte can make Skipp so much more creative, imagine what he could do with a more orthodox No 8 or No 10 for a team that looks solid but is lacking a little bit of guile in the attacking third. At the same time, he could oversee Skipp’s rapid improvement in whatever position he ends up in.
Developing players is one of Conte’s great skills, and Skipp feels like a prime target for this kind of transformation.
Conte has been hugely impressed by Skipp since taking over, and discussed his potential after the game: “He could become a top midfielder, but he has to continue to work. He has this will, this desire to become an important player for Tottenham for the present and for the future.”
He also explained where he wants Skipp to develop: “I think that I can improve him a lot in possession and technically. He has really a lot of space for improvement. But he played with great intensity, great passion; with heart, with soul.”
Conte also confirmed to The Athletic that Skipp was playing in a more advanced role against Brentford, with more license to get forward and try to create chances for the team.
“For sure, and he has to improve with the ball, no?” he added. “The part that he has to improve is with the ball, but in one month I have seen a lot of improvement about Skippy. He’s a player who wants to improve.”
Spurs likewise look to be improving, and now sit two points outside the top four with a game in hand.
With eight more matches across three competitions before the opening of the January transfer window, which history tells us is not an easy time to make signings, the onus is very much on Conte to find solutions from within.
Skipp looked just that on Thursday night.
Tucker
Shitehawk
- Jul 15, 2013
- 31,565
- 147,681
Yeah, he unfairly gets pegged as a David Batty type crab, but he’s really so much better than that. The lad has bags of potential.
Would really like him to get off the mark with a goal soon.
