'He drives the team': Ange Postecoglou now told his £25m Tottenham Hotspur player is becoming a real 'leader'

09/05/2024 01:15 AM

Tottenham Hotspur players have headed off for international duty having suffered a frustrating 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday.

The September international break always feels a little frustrating.

The new Premier League season is only just up and running but, after only three games, players are now heading away with their countries.

Ange Postecoglou may have wanted to work with his plays after Sunday's defeat at Newcastle, having seen Tottenham dominate the game and yet still lose.

Instead, Postecoglou has to watch his players from afar and no doubt sit nervously waiting to hear of any injury news ahead of the North London derby against Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur star praised

One Tottenham player is about to take an enormous step in his career.

Winger Dejan Kulusevski has linked up with Sweden for their games against Azerbaijan and Estonia.

That isn't incredible in itself; Kulusevski already has 39 caps for Sweden at the age of 24.

The big news is that Kulusevski will captain Sweden against Azerbaijan on Thursday evening as skipper Victor Lindelof is unavailable.

Kulusevski has taken on a leadership role in the Sweden ranks of late and admitted giving a Postecoglou-inspired team talk back in March.

Now ready to put on the armband for Sweden, Kulusevski has been praised by Sweden left back Ludwig Augustinsson whilst speaking to TV4.

Augustinsson feels that Kulusevski is a natural leader as he is always pushing his Sweden teammates forward in the dressing room.

The former Aston Villa full back added that Kulusevski is more outgoing now and is still growing as a leader, feeling that his step-up as Sweden captain is 'natural'.

"He has natural leadership qualities. He is a pusher. He wants to move forward, he takes the initiative. He drives the team on the pitch and more and more in the dressing room," said Augustinsson.

"He is much more open and outgoing than before. He is growing more and more into a leader and he has a lot of experience at the highest level. It feels natural that it is he who takes the armband," he added.

Dejan Kulusevski still a conundrum for Ange Postecoglou

Kulusevski certainly has quality in his locker but he remains something of a question mark under Postecoglou.

Signed as a right winger in a £25million deal, as noted by BBC Sport, Kulusevski doesn't quite possess the athletic qualities Postecoglou likes out wide.

The Australian loves pace on the flanks, hence the signings of Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Wilson Odobert.

Kulusevski has guile and creativity but speed is not one of his calling cards, meaning we have actually seen him pushed infield as an attack-minded midfielder.

That could work for Kulusevski but playing both him and James Maddison won't work for every opponent and Postecoglou is more likely to go with Maddison over Kulusevski if given a straight choice.

Kulusevski played well as a false nine in pre-season but Tottenham have now splashed out on Dominic Solanke, so the Swede isn't the answer there either.

We love watching Kulusevski at his best but his long-term role at Tottenham is a little unclear, even if he has developed as a person under Postecoglou.