Dejan Kulusevski reveals key to Spurs form and ultimate goal after Ange Postecoglou grants wish
Dejan Kulusevski finally has the freedom on the pitch that he has craved during his time with Tottenham. Previously always utilised on the right-wing, the Sweden international is now making a real name for himself in the middle of the pitch after becoming part of Ange Postecoglou's midfield three.
Certainly not a position that is new to the player after operating as an attacking midfielder at various points throughout his career, the positional switch has extracted the very best out of the 24-year-old and he looks destined to get even better. What has been noticeable during Kulusevski's time in his central role is that his opponents do not how to deal with him.
Tottenham's No.21 created an incredible nine chances on goal during last month's 3-0 win over Manchester United in what was probably his best game in a Spurs shirt. Kulusevski then wreaked havoc on West Ham last weekend, notably toying with the visiting team in the opening minutes as he glided across the pitch before later scoring Tottenham's first goal of the day.
So why are so many teams struggling to defend against Kulusevski right now? The Tottenham ace explained all when speaking after the 4-1 win over the Hammers.
"They can't know how to defend me when I don't even know where I am going, because it's all instinct," he said when speaking on Tottenham's Review Show following the win.
"It's all freedom and every game is different. Finally, I have that freedom, my teammates trust me, the coach trusts me because when I play like this, this is my position, it's all instincts and I can hurt defenders in every kind of way."
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Kulusevski has hit another level altogether this season and that is partly down to the hard work he put in ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. The Stockholm-born player is intent on improving his game as he looks to achieve his goal of becoming one of the best players in the world.
"Yes, I know. Every year I get better and better because I understand what I'm doing wrong and understanding things to improve," he said when asked what his growth as a player is down to. "This was my plan in the summer, to work on the things I wanted to work on, I changed my mindset, started training even more than before, and this is only the beginning.
"I know I can play much better than this, so I want to keep improving and to become one of the best players in the world. I changed my training routine, you can't understand everything when you're young, so, every year you get experience, and you improve in every side of the football."
Postecoglou stated in his press conference after the West Ham game that he wants Kulusevski to add more goals and assists to his game. Kulusevski's sister, who he previously dubbed as his harshest critic, wants the Spurs man to do the same but instead do it in every single match.
He explained: "Yes, I just picked my phone up and she wants me to score or assist in every game, so when I do that, she says it's okay!"
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