Tottenham Hotspur’s return to Champions League action did not go as manager Jose Mourinho would have hoped, with the north London side conceding an away goal to opponents RB Leipzig, losing 1-0. Although it was a mostly underwhelming evening for the hosts, there was one player who put himself in contention to start more frequently this season, Giovani Lo Celso. The former Real Betis and PSG man lined up in a midfield two alongside Harry Winks and flourished in the centre of the park, while those around him faltered.
Lo Celso, rated £45m (Transfermarkt), was far in a way the most potent attacking asset for Spurs, as per WhoScored, no player took more shots than the Argentine’s three, while he also had the most shots on target, two. Furthermore, the 23-year-old’s three key passes were the same as the rest of his teammates combined. After dazzling by providing the most significant goal threat, along with a heap of opportunities for others, Mourinho may consider deploying the midfielder as part of a two in engine room more often this term. Additionally, the German opposition struggled to contain Lo Celso’s quick feet, via WhoScored, he dribbled around opponents on four occasions and was twice fouled.
As per WhoScord, the 23-year-old maintained an impressive 80.4 per cent pass accuracy from 46 efforts, though only one of his eight attempted crosses found a fellow Spurs player. The statistics suggest Lo Celso negotiated the opposition press to retain possession effectively. But with a front pairing of Lucas Moura and Dele Alli, the latter of which struggled to influence proceedings and was substituted shortly after the hour mark, so it is somewhat confusing the Argentine attempted such a high number of crosses.
To an outstanding all-round display, as per WhoScored, Lo Celso got back amongst his fellow defenders to make two interceptions and one clearance, given the circumstances that Spurs were depleted. Without both Son-Heung Min and Harry Kane Tottenham lacked bite in forward areas, and it was a predominantly dour evening. However, Lo Celso provided a glimmer of hope which broke through the fog and could be vitally important in the return leg.
