View: Ange seems to be losing the plot after what he did to 87% Tottenham passer v Coventry

Ange Postecoglou made a decision for Tottenham Hotspur against Coventry City on Wednesday which certainly sparked fury among some Spurs fans.

Lucas Bergvall, who enjoyed an excellent game in the eyes of many, was withdrawn by Postecoglou just 62 minutes into the Carabao Cup tie at the CBS Arena as Spurs went on to carve out a dramatic late comeback to win 2-1 and secure a place in the fourth round.

The manager described the teenager as “very good”, adding he will “play a big part in our season” [TBR Football, 19 September], but confused supporters when he cut short Bergvall’s first start for the club.

Lucas Bergvall impresses on full Tottenham debut

Bergvall played just over an hour before being replaced by former Coventry man James Maddison in the West Midlands, and Tottenham conceded to Brandon Thomas-Asante just moments after his exit.

Surely, given the competitive nature of the tie, keeping Bergvall on the pitch would have been entirely beneficial for his development, and the need to bring Maddison on could have seen another player sacrificed.

For an 18-year-old, the Swede looked assured on the ball and helped process Spurs’ attacking play from the middle of the park as he completed 87% of his 31 passes [Fotmob] and rarely conceded possession.

A video compilation posted on X [18 September] by one supporter demonstrated the highlights of Bergvall’s play on the night, coupled with several fan reactions to his replacement for Maddison.

He made sure to muck in when his side were on the back foot to their Championship opponents, too – both of his tackle attempts were executed, and he made five recoveries with one crucial interception.

Bergvall operated on the left of a narrow, three-man midfield at Coventry but during his sporadic appearances in the Premier League this season, he has seen more of the right-hand side – the youngster’s passing accuracy is still maintained at a 90% consistency rate while he has pulled off 67% of his attempted dribbles [Sofascore].

Based on his statistics for former club Djurgarden in his homeland while he was still aged just 17, it was little surprise Bergvall had been a full Swedish international since January of this year.

FBRef data finds the midfielder accumulated an average goal/assist ratio of 0.39 per game, ensuring a goal contribution between every two and three games while still not a senior player, nor a first-choice selection in the team.

In this context, the part he played for his old team was significant if not short and sweet, and fully justifies so far his exciting summer move to North London with Postecoglou’s Champions League-chasing Tottenham.

In other Tottenham news, John Wenham discusses his concern with Johnny Cardoso.

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