Ange Postecoglou handed dilemma by under-the-radar Tottenham ace as undroppables lose status

Pape Matar Sarr is having a big say in a Tottenham shirt right now. Such a key cog in Ange Postecoglou's Spurs midfield immediately after the Australian's appointment as head coach in the summer of 2023, the youngster has unfortunately lost his tag as an undroppable this term.

Named in the starting XI on the opening day of the Premier League season away at Leicester City, the 22-year-old's only other league starts in 2024/25 have come against Newcastle United and in Sunday's convincing 4-1 victory over Aston Villa. While of course Dominic Solanke will quite rightly dominate the headlines after his double in the big win, Sarr's influence on the game was huge and he deserves plenty of praise for helping Tottenham cap off a memorable week in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

Fresh from his wonderful strike in Wednesday's evening 2-1 win over Manchester City, Sarr took his place in the Spurs midfield alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski for the Aston Villa showdown. It was always going to be a choice between Sarr and James Maddison to get the nod from the off, with the former preferred by Postecoglou in order to give Spurs plenty of energy in the middle against a strong Villa selection.

After all, that's exactly what the Senegal ace did a fortnight ago after his introduction at the beginning of the second half in the 4-1 win over West Ham. Bentancur was Tottenham's best midfielder in the first half against the Villans but Sarr really started to come to the fore in the second 45 minutes of the contest.

He went from strength to strength after the break as his running qualities, dynamism and ability to win the ball and get it forward helped Tottenham come out on top as they struck four second-half goals. He was to have a say in the team's second and third goals of the contest as Solanke helped himself to a double.

Firstly getting on the ball after Ben Davies had won possession to play in Johnson prior to the striker converting Kulusevski's reverse ball, Sarr was to have a bigger role in Solanke's second strike after seizing upon Pau Torres' loose pass, driving forward with it and slipping in Richarlison to square for Tottenham's No.19. The ex-Metz man really is having quite the impact for Tottenham in the final third this season even if his minutes have been restricted in the Premier League.

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Scoring in Tottenham's first two Europa League ties against Qarabag and Ferencvaros and then getting his name on the scoresheet last Wednesday against Manchester City, Sarr also has assists to his name in the Manchester United and West Ham fixtures. Postecoglou was asked about his player's impact against Aston Villa when speaking in his post-match press conference and he heaped praise on the starlet.

"They're never out of my line-up, it's different challenges along the way. But he probably played as much as anyone last year, I rate him so highly," explained the 59-year-old. "His capacity again to work for the team but also the quality he has in breaking open oppositions with his running with the ball. I knew he'd be important today because they've got such a hard-working midfield with Onana, Tielemans, McGinn in there, Rogers.

"They don't really play with wide players, they work awfully hard in that midfield area and you've got to match that. You're never going to break them open unless you do that. He just put in another enormous effort. Along with Rodri and Biss when he came on, and Deki of course."

Given the incredible performances he was producing 12 months ago when an automatic pick in Postecoglou's starting XI, 2024 has been a very up and down year for the player. Unable to recapture his form after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Sarr was also not helped by the constant changes in midfield as Postecoglou looked for his best selection with Maddison and Yves Bissouma, who have both also lost their undroppable status this term, also struggling to rediscover their previous levels.

Despite the fact that he has not been a Tottenham regular in the Premier League this season, Sarr does appear to be finishing the year in the right way for Tottenham and that is only going to give Postecoglou a difficult decision to make in the weeks ahead. His performances have perhaps gone under the radar a little bit of late, with Kulusevski, Johnson and others coming in for regular praise due to their impact on the team.

Apart from Kulusevski, no midfielder looks to be guaranteed a Tottenham starting spot in the Premier League right now. Sarr really is making his case at present and long may it continue.

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