What is Spurs' Best Midfield?
This is the third of three articles in 'The Run-Up' series, which examines what Spurs need to do to improve in the coming season.
As preseason draws to a close and the squad prepares for their first league match against Leicester City, the midfield remains one of the biggest question marks. That’s not because we’re short in that area, but the opposite: it’s where we have the most squad depth.
In what follows I’ll lay out what I think is our strongest midfield three, plus how I see Spurs rotating and sharing minutes in the midfield roles.
The Skeleton
If you look at Spurs’ three midfield roles in the abstract—as a structure without the flesh—you have (nominally) a 6 and two 8s. The 6 is not a ‘CDM’ or defensive-style midfielder, but the lynchpin in our buildup, as I’ve discussed here and here. What you need in that role, foremost, is someone strong and secure on the ball, tidy with their pass completion, excellent in tight spaces, and fearless in playing deep with back to goal, receiving the ball under immense pressure and in risky situations, and turning, dribbling, and passing out of pressure to launch our attack. Defensively, the 6 needs to be able to press high up the pitch and intercept would-be line-breaking passes from the opposition’s deep-lying players, who are ideally flustered and harried by the relentless pressing of our front line.
Then you have the two 8 roles, which are positionally staggered on the pitch. The higher 8 role functions similar to a traditional 10, receiving high and creating, looking to beat opponents off the dribble and shift them out of shape, looking to pick the lock in low-block situations, and getting into the box to finish chances. But the higher 8 also needs to drop deep from time to time in support of the buildup, making line-breaking passes from deeper in the midfield and setting off fast breaks. The higher 8 also needs to be intelligent in responding to pressing triggers and not shy of a tackle, because the front-foot press should generate a lot of iffy balls played into that midfield area where the 6 and the 8s are hanging out when out of possession, looking to intercept or put in a challenge to turn the ball back over to us. Counterpressing is a signature element of how Postecoglou likes to play, and something Spurs flourished at last season.
The remaining 8 role, which sits a bit deeper than the higher 8, is more of an all-action, box-to-box midfielder role. They need to do everything from receiving the ball deep and under pressure to springing and supporting attacks to controlling the tempo and direction of play. Defensively, they need to cover ground, press intelligently, and do all the ‘engine room’ stuff you’d expect of an all-around midfielder. The way Postecoglou sets up in terms of rest defense, the deeper 8 has more responsibility than the 6 for eating up turf and providing defensive cover on counters (this is something a lot of pundits and fans seem to miss about how we play).
The Strongest Midfield
Having said all that, two of the three midfield roles should be pretty obvious as to who fills them in our strongest midfield three: Bissouma is as natural a 6 as you can get in Postecoglou’s system, and Maddison is as natural a 10 as you can get in Postecoglou’s system. Both have key attributes for their respective roles that are not only not duplicated in the squad, but also relatively rare in world football.
The most interesting question is who would work best in the remaining 8 (box-to-box) role, given Bissouma and Maddison in the strongest midfield three. In my view, there are three serious contenders: Sarr, Bentancur, and Bergvall.
Sarr is exceptional at covering ground both with and without the ball, the best of the three when it comes to providing defensive cover and keeping up with a dynamic midfield opposition. He’s strong on the ball as well, good at keeping play ticking over, good at crashing the box, and poised on the ball, especially for his age.
Bentancur is, I think, the best all-around midfielder in the squad. He’s technically excellent, can receive under pressure, makes good decisions, can spring an attack with quick thinking, can crash the box to get on the end of a cross, can thread the through pass. But he’s also a handful to deal with defensively: physical, aggressive, strong in the air, intelligent in his positioning (always stealing in to intercept or dispossess).
And Bergvall is, as I see it, basically a younger and less experienced version of the all-around talent that Bentancur is, and already showing signs that he’s capable of playing in the first 11 at the Premier League level. Only Bergvall might have a bit more than Bentancur on the creative side of things.
So, as it stands, I think Bentancur is the first-choice 8 to play alongside Bissouma and Maddison in our strongest midfield, just because the 8 role demands so many different kinds of excellence.
Rotation Options
That said, Bergvall can push for that 8 spot and is already very good cover for Bentancur.
Where does that leave Sarr, an excellent young midfielder? I still think Sarr has a crucial role to play in this midfield, and will merit and receive plenty of minutes. I expect him to play in virtually every match, as Hojbjerg did last season, to help us secure leads or to inject some energy and tenacity into the side in the second half. I also expect Sarr to start many matches this season, both in the league and in Europe and the cups, depending on the competition. When we face particularly physical and dynamic opposition who will make it difficult for us to dominate possession, Sarr’s ability off the ball may be preferable to what the other 8 options can offer with it.
Finally, I expect Kulusevski to pick up more minutes in both 8 roles this season, as needed or as called for by the situation at hand (in addition to the minutes he’ll get out wide on the right). He can play both 8 roles and is (excitingly!) still developing as a player. I see Kulusevski as a similar player to Havertz or Müller, in terms of profile: an exceptional talent who’s easily underestimated because he doesn’t fit squarely into a single role, but can do a lot of subtle things that make him very difficult to play against. In Postecoglou’s system, that versatility is a major strength (for reasons elaborated on here).
I haven’t mentioned Archie Gray yet, mainly because I expect he’ll be needed most as defensive cover, particularly in the RB role. But I see him more as a midfielder and expect as he matures he’ll start to claim minutes in midfield roles. I see him mainly as an understudy for the 6 role: calm and composed on the ball, technically excellent, fearless.
So, if we look at this like a depth chart, here’s how I see our midfield personnel in each respective role:
6
Bissouma
Bentancur
Gray (possibly moving up in this depth chart as he develops throughout the season)
8 (higher)
Maddison
Kulusevski
Bergvall
8 (deeper)
Bentancur
Bergvall
Sarr (sometimes first on the chart when the opposition suits)
Kulusevski
Broken down this way, it should be clear that we have exceptionally strong and deep midfield options. In my opinion it’s the strongest part of our squad.