September was a good month for Tottenham Hotspur; four wins out of five games, including a 4-1 drubbing of Manchester City shows Mauricio Pochettino’s young Spurs are progressing nicely. The only black mark is a disappointing Capital One Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal.
With their next game a trip to South Wales to see Swansea City, here are my top three players of the month for September:
3. – Heung-min Son
Things were pretty despondent at White Hart Lane before the arrival of the South Korean international. with Spurs at that point still searching for a first win of the season.
But the Son soon shined on North London, with the former Bayer Leverkusen man bagging two goals on his home debut against Qarabag, before firing home the winner against a formidable Crystal Palace side.
What has been most impressive about the South Korean is how well he’s adapted to the Premier League. Son is quick, direct and shows an eagerness to run beyond defenders and stretch the play; that’s arguably what Spurs had been missing from the start of the season.
A reputation for goal-getting during his time in the Bundesliga, three goals in four games in a Spurs shirt is a testament to his ability and here’s hoping he continues to ease the pressure off Harry Kane.
2. – Erik Lamela
At the start of the season, there was a clear divide over Erik Lamela; you were either in the camp of kick him out of the club, or persevere and give him one more chance.
A horrendous substitute appearance against Stoke City didn’t see fit to justify the latter, but September was Lamela’s month. A goal against Qarabag gave him a much-needed confidence boost and then played a massive part in the winner against Crystal Palace, by starting the move with a crunching tackle just outside his own box.
But the real turning point came against Manchester City. A heroic man of the match performance saw him terrorise the City backline; setting up one goal before scoring a deserved goal himself and was substituted to a standing ovation.
Statistically, only Mesut Ozil has been involved in creating more chances on average over 90 minutes than the Argentine and it appears that the former AS Roma forward is starting to justify Pochettino’s faith in him.
1. – Eric Dier
It isn’t easy for a centre back to play in midfield, but very few have taken to it so quickly and as accomplished as Eric Dier has.
With every passing game, the young Englishman’s understanding of the role continues to grow and he looks a much more assured defensive option than Nabil Bentaleb, who struggled for form before sitting out on the sidelines through injury.
Dier made more passes in the first half than any other player against Manchester City, as well as scoring a superb long-range effort to bring Spurs level and his ability to move the ball quickly gives Tottenham a lot of forward momentum.
No doubt part of the reason why Tottenham have looked so strong defensively is the fact that Dier shields the back four so well and although he still has a lot to learn to be a commanding defensive midfielder, the former Sporting player is flourishing in the role.
Alongside the equally impressive Dele Alli, the two inexperienced youngsters have a great understanding and although Dier’s long-term future may well be in the heart of the defence, he has become a very credible option in midfield.
Do you agree or would your top 3 look a little different? get in touch and let us know!
