Giovani Lo Celso - key to Mourinho reigniting Tottenham’s season?

His is a season that has been cruelly derailed by injuries.

The campaign to date has been beset by rumours of off-field squabbles, player disillusionment and now a sacked manager who until recently was seen as the saviour. According to some reports Pochettino had set his sights on a return to Spain some time ago.

Right now, Giovani Lo Celso and Tottenham need each other more than ever. Particularly at a time when some players are perhaps past their best and others are underperforming. Will new manager, Jose Mourinho give him his chance?

The Argentine had barely played a minute for his new employer until recently, but he was outstanding in the 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, scoring once and getting a really useful 86 minutes under his belt.

And while he was quieter last time out against Sheffield United, it was still forward progression for the 23-year-old in getting the full 90 minutes in.

There may still be some Spurs fans who are sceptical about a player who didn’t make the grade at PSG, and who had to take a step backwards to Real Betis to really start believing himself again.

The extent of Tottenham’s woes is such that one player is unlikely to spark a complete turnaround in their fortunes, but could Giovani Lo Celso at least make up for the near complete absence of creative output from Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and co?

Argy Bargy 

There are two common themes missing at Spurs right now: quality in the final third and some fight and passion for the shirt.

On both of which notes, Lo Celso could be an absolute revelation when he becomes accustomed to the trials and tribulations of English football.

There have been 12 weeks of Premier League action so far, at the time of writing, and here is how Tottenham’s attacking output is looking:

We know that Harry Kane is a world-class goalscorer, but just how many goals would he have netted with more ammunition being presented to him?

The same can be argued for Son Heung-Min, too.

Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, two must-picks in this Tottenham team previously, have conjured up just three goals and one assist between them all season long.

You talk about a lack of creativity, and it’s evident in the team stats too. Spurs have scored only the eighth most goals from open play this term, and only three teams have fired a higher percentage of their total shots from outside the penalty area.

That last stat in particular sums up just how ineffective Tottenham have been.

So perhaps it is not entirely unreasonable to expect Mourinho to look to a player like Lo Celso, a crafty winger who will drift in from the right flank. He scored 16 goals in all competitions for Betis last term, and that sort of output will help to take the pressure off Kane and Son.

The only concern is that he isn’t that creative as far as giving a final ball is concerned, with just five assists and a key passes per 90 minutes ratio of 0.8 in the 2018/19 campaign.

Mourinho might soon be welcoming a player with an eye for goal into his first team picture, but he will still need to find a creative spark from somewhere if Lo Celso and his teammates are to get their season back on track.

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