Waves of emotion washed over fans watching the Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, thinking they snatched victory in the waning moments of their match against Manchester United, only for the Red Devils to break their hearts at the 90’+3 mark, trying to defend a corner. Result aside, this match had two distinct feels between the first half and the second half, and it’s hard not to immediately look at the halftime adjustment that Thomas Frank opted for right out of the tunnel.
After a rather mundane first half by Kolo Muani, possibly due to injury, Frank shifted on the fly, hoping that Wilson Odobert could jumpstart an offense that could only produce 0.14 xG in the first half. The results were noticeable from the jump.
Within his first 10 minutes on the pitch, Odobert made two immediate impact plays on defense and then created the Spurs’ first genuine chance of the half.
His first defensive action, although he never actually touched the ball, helped disrupt an offensive chance by tracking deep into the middle of the box to cover a streaking Noussair Mazraoui. While the pass was poor, the defense was splendid and would have silenced any opportunity had the pass been purer.
Roughly two minutes later, another productive defensive play materialized, where Odobert was relentless trying to win the ball back, pairing up with Joao Pahlinha to suffocate whichever Red Devil decided to possess the ball. Odobert never gave up on the play, going well deep into the left channel to cover Mazraoui trying to work the side.
Odobert’s defensive effectiveness continued throughout, variously pressuring more in the center and right channel while diligently drifting into the middle and defensive thirds to help out any overlapping deficiencies, primarily due to Destiny Odogie coming on and patrolling the better majority of the left channel.
But while defense is fun and all, most football fans prefer it when their forwards partake in shot and goal creation activities. For those fans, Odobert certainly displayed signs of offensive life during his 45-minute jaunt on Saturday, as well.
Around the 54th minute, the French International created the Spurs’ first real chance of the afternoon, lofting a beautiful cross from the left of the box about 18 yards out that Romero redirects beautifully but unfortunately finds Senee Lammens perfectly positioned to make the save—a missed opportunity, but a productive opportunity nonetheless.
As the doors of the match were rapidly closing in on Tottenham Hotspur, Odobert did his best to make his mark on the outcome and hopefully in his manager’s mind.
While Tel’s 84th minute goal won’t get Odobert an assist, it was his run, which started from midfield, that eventually led him to dump off a pass 18 yards from the box into the left channel, setting up Odogie’s low cross into the box that finds Tel waiting to make his best touch of the season.
The 89th minute was an extremely productive one for Odobert. On two occasions, he received passes coming off a recycle from the right channel, and on both occasions, he made fellow countyman Leny Yoro his plaything. Odobert used his ball-handling skills to move down the line seamlessly, setting up his powerful left foot to lace in a cross. The first cross found a player in the wrong jersey, but it was placed right where two Spurs could get it. The second one should have been a goal.
First Chance:
Second Chance:
To finish off his impressive showing, his 91st minute shot that karreemed off of Richarlison’s back should have sent the Spurs home with three points, but for Matthijs de Ligt’s late equalizer, which broke the hearts of all the Lily White supporters. Odobert has obviously been given direction to hang out around the top of the box when action is happening deep in the channels and on corners, and on several occasions, he was in the right place at the right time to set the Spurs up for success. While the assist was definitely deserved considering his offensive creations late in this match, the potential for so much more can be seen rearing its beautiful head.
Taking a peek at Odobert’s season stats and how he compares with the other forwards and attacking midfielders on the Spurs’ squad, it’s becoming hard to deny him a regular spot in Frank’s Starting XI. Since the Frechman has only been tapped to start 3 EPL games, looking at Odobert’s per 90 stats is the best way to provide us with a clearer picture of just how he stacks up.
When it comes to progressive carries, Odobert 4.52 per 90 is well above the likes of Udogie (3.95), Xavi Simons (3.90), Djed Spence (3.57), and Mohammed Kudus (3.30). He has demonstrated that he isn’t afraid to move the ball forward and that he can be successful in this task. However, he usually isn’t done once he has progressed the ball. He also ranks first in completion percentage amongst forwards and attacking midfielders, completing 84.4% of his overall passes, 90% of his short passes, 83.6% of his medium passes, and missing only two of his nine deep passes.
Odobert’s passes are often productive as well. The forward has a knack for finding open shooters, with 3.10 of his liveball passes per EPL game leading to a shot attempt, way ahead of Simon’s (1.69) in this category. Even when Odobert prefers not to pass and would rather take on a defender one-on-one, the potential is beaming. With the second most attempted take-ons per 90 (5.24), only behind Kudus (7.83), Odobert’s 54.5% success rate in these actions is 10 points greater than the Ghanaian.
This type of success all across the field can no longer be ignored. Odobert’s talent is blossoming with every minute he collects on the pitch. At this point in the season, it makes perfect sense to give him the most minutes possible, especially considering the lack of impressiveness seen across the board from the other candidates for this position.
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