Tottenham news: Opinion – Lucas Bergvall should be ‘thanked’

One player who epitomises Spurs this season is Lucas Bergvall.

If we want to get the negatives out of the way, he can be impetuous and this is evidenced by some of his reckless tackles.

He can be a frustrating ball hog, trying to weave his way out of situations and conceding possession by running into opposition players when a simple pass to a team-mate five yards away would suffice.

He can also be a touch unlucky, as his own goal in the Europa League last week proved.

However, his reaction to that own goal and his performance for the rest of the AZ Alkmaar game – arguably the best from anyone in a Spurs shirt on a disappointing night overall – tells us everything we need to know about this promising young player.

The young Sweden international is determined, creative, combative and productive.

Perhaps more importantly for Spurs this season, he is relentless. His head never drops. His feet never stop. He keeps running, pressing, tackling and trying.

In fact, more often than not this season, Bergvall has galvanised this team in a way that our older and more experienced players have struggled to do so.

After the game against Bournemouth on Sunday, Ange Postecoglou spoke about a sense of nervousness among certain players. Maybe the weight of expectation is too heavy a burden for some of the more seasoned professionals in the team?

Perhaps the reason Bergvall and his peers, such as Archie Gray, Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson, are offering better performances is because no-one expected them to save the day in the first place.

As key players return from injury to boost our chances in Europe, they should be thanking players like Bergvall for ensuring there is still something left for them to play for.

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