Giovani Lo Celso - Player Thread
- Thread starter Spursex
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muttley
Alert Team
The king is dead, long live the king !!!!
Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
Ericksen is now PASTA his best ....hope he iikes spaghetti
Littlest Hobo
Vital 1st Team Regular
Great to see someone wanting a second ball. He is battling his heart out for us which is rubbing off on others. Can't wait to see the permutations our midfield can start putting together.
D
Deleted member 7310
Guest
Glad to see him in CM.
Such an underrated performance - physical, made challenges, won the ball which led to Son's second, covered the most ground, cut through opposition lines, take ons - endless list.
Eriksen is a fantastic player but we always had too many CMs who were positioned all over the pitch, we are hopefully moving to a different model with different players who compliment each other.
Such an underrated performance - physical, made challenges, won the ball which led to Son's second, covered the most ground, cut through opposition lines, take ons - endless list.
Eriksen is a fantastic player but we always had too many CMs who were positioned all over the pitch, we are hopefully moving to a different model with different players who compliment each other.
Spursex
Alert Team
Interesting summary on
"Giovani Lo Celso has not always been the most popular player at Tottenham Hotspur since they bought him from Real Betis in 2019. But right now, all of a sudden, he might be one of their most important.
This is a difficult time for Spurs as they try to navigate their way through a hectic period with half of their first team missing. Against Bournemouth they had to build a midfield without James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, and with Rodrigo Bentancur coming back after one month out with an ankle injury. They need the fringe players to step up and show they can be part of Ange Postecoglou’s revolution, that they can make his ideas real on the pitch.
(More here: https://theathletic.com/5171548/2024/01/01/lo-celso-tottenham-bournemouth/)
Spurs have faced plenty of challenges in recent weeks, not least how they attempt to defend in an aggressive front-foot way with neither Cristian Romero nor Micky van de Ven at centre-back. But another issue is how they progress the ball through the middle and create chances without Maddison, who assumed a role of huge importance almost instantly. This has been troubling Spurs ever since the ankle ligament injury Maddison suffered against Chelsea almost two months ago."
Postecoglou did try pairing Lo Celso with Kulusevski when Pape Matar Sarr was out, and he scored against Aston Villa and Manchester City. But then Lo Celso got injured and Sarr returned to the side. Lo Celso was a lively substitute against Everton and Brighton but this was his first start for three-and-a-half weeks. And it was his best performance of the season.
Lo Celso, more than anyone else in the Spurs team, took it upon himself to answer the question about progressing the ball and creating chances. He was involved in all three of Tottenham’s goals and plenty of other good moments besides.
From the start he was his usual busy vocal self, urging Richarlison forward to press, trying to put the pressure onto Bournemouth. And it worked when Spurs took the lead after just nine minutes. Bournemouth keeper Neto mis-hit his kick out, Bentancur won a 50-50 with Ryan Christie, Lo Celso won his 50-50 with Lewis Cook and Sarr drove into the box and buried the chance.
As Bournemouth started to grow into the game, and Spurs started to flag, it became clear that if they were to do anything it would be on the break. Lo Celso is not necessarily the quickest but he can drive forward with the ball (Justin Kluivert was booked for tripping him from behind) and Spurs’ best moves were orchestrated by him.
Soon after the break Lo Celso played in Heung-min Son. The South Korean set up Richarlison, who should really have put Spurs 2-0 up. Then he played through Richarlison and the Brazilian returned the favour, setting up Son, only for Marcos Senesi to intervene just as the Spurs captain was about to shoot.
Just when it felt as if Spurs would be punished for missing these chances, Lo Celso produced yet another moment of magic, and this time it paid off. The ball broke free to him in the middle of the pitch and he played a brilliant forward pass with the outside of his left boot for Son to run onto (Postecoglou later called it “outstanding”). Sensing the importance of the moment, Son buried the finish past Neto. Lo Celso’s quality was rewarded.
When Lo Celso was taken off he was given a standing ovation, a marked change from the frustration some Spurs fans have shown with him in the past. There has often been a feeling — entirely justified — that Tottenham have not seen the best of Lo Celso. He was so good in his first season when Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino but after that point he struggled with injuries, a lack of form or rhythm and a clear sense of what his best position is. It did not take Antonio Conte long to decide to do without him, leading to the first of two loan spells at Villarreal. Nor has Lo Celso’s prickly demeanour around the club always helped him.
But at the same time it has always been clear Lo Celso is an exceptional player, even if Spurs have not always seen the best of him. He has been an integral part of the Argentina side, and only an unfortunately-timed injury stopped him from being part of their team that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He is not a perfect player — his tackling is a liability as he showed at Brighton last week — but there are not many midfielders out there who can get forward and create chances like he does.
Maybe this is just another brief moment, a flash that promises more than it delivers. But right now Spurs need someone who can do what he does. For as long as Maddison is still out, and with Bissouma and Sarr away on international duty in January, Lo Celso will be an integral part of the team.
“Gio was great, he’s been great the last two or three weeks,” Postecoglou said. “With the amount of injuries and absences we’ve had, we’ve needed everyone in the group and everybody who has come in has stepped up. Gio was very good today, not just with his work rate but you could see his quality on the ball. His passes through, and the one through to Sonny was outstanding. We needed him today and we’re going to need him going forward, because Sonny goes away now, Biss goes away, Pape goes away. I thought he was a good contributor.”
"Giovani Lo Celso has not always been the most popular player at Tottenham Hotspur since they bought him from Real Betis in 2019. But right now, all of a sudden, he might be one of their most important.
This is a difficult time for Spurs as they try to navigate their way through a hectic period with half of their first team missing. Against Bournemouth they had to build a midfield without James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, and with Rodrigo Bentancur coming back after one month out with an ankle injury. They need the fringe players to step up and show they can be part of Ange Postecoglou’s revolution, that they can make his ideas real on the pitch.
(More here: https://theathletic.com/5171548/2024/01/01/lo-celso-tottenham-bournemouth/)
Spurs have faced plenty of challenges in recent weeks, not least how they attempt to defend in an aggressive front-foot way with neither Cristian Romero nor Micky van de Ven at centre-back. But another issue is how they progress the ball through the middle and create chances without Maddison, who assumed a role of huge importance almost instantly. This has been troubling Spurs ever since the ankle ligament injury Maddison suffered against Chelsea almost two months ago."
Postecoglou did try pairing Lo Celso with Kulusevski when Pape Matar Sarr was out, and he scored against Aston Villa and Manchester City. But then Lo Celso got injured and Sarr returned to the side. Lo Celso was a lively substitute against Everton and Brighton but this was his first start for three-and-a-half weeks. And it was his best performance of the season.
Lo Celso, more than anyone else in the Spurs team, took it upon himself to answer the question about progressing the ball and creating chances. He was involved in all three of Tottenham’s goals and plenty of other good moments besides.
From the start he was his usual busy vocal self, urging Richarlison forward to press, trying to put the pressure onto Bournemouth. And it worked when Spurs took the lead after just nine minutes. Bournemouth keeper Neto mis-hit his kick out, Bentancur won a 50-50 with Ryan Christie, Lo Celso won his 50-50 with Lewis Cook and Sarr drove into the box and buried the chance.
As Bournemouth started to grow into the game, and Spurs started to flag, it became clear that if they were to do anything it would be on the break. Lo Celso is not necessarily the quickest but he can drive forward with the ball (Justin Kluivert was booked for tripping him from behind) and Spurs’ best moves were orchestrated by him.
Soon after the break Lo Celso played in Heung-min Son. The South Korean set up Richarlison, who should really have put Spurs 2-0 up. Then he played through Richarlison and the Brazilian returned the favour, setting up Son, only for Marcos Senesi to intervene just as the Spurs captain was about to shoot.
Just when it felt as if Spurs would be punished for missing these chances, Lo Celso produced yet another moment of magic, and this time it paid off. The ball broke free to him in the middle of the pitch and he played a brilliant forward pass with the outside of his left boot for Son to run onto (Postecoglou later called it “outstanding”). Sensing the importance of the moment, Son buried the finish past Neto. Lo Celso’s quality was rewarded.
When Lo Celso was taken off he was given a standing ovation, a marked change from the frustration some Spurs fans have shown with him in the past. There has often been a feeling — entirely justified — that Tottenham have not seen the best of Lo Celso. He was so good in his first season when Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino but after that point he struggled with injuries, a lack of form or rhythm and a clear sense of what his best position is. It did not take Antonio Conte long to decide to do without him, leading to the first of two loan spells at Villarreal. Nor has Lo Celso’s prickly demeanour around the club always helped him.
But at the same time it has always been clear Lo Celso is an exceptional player, even if Spurs have not always seen the best of him. He has been an integral part of the Argentina side, and only an unfortunately-timed injury stopped him from being part of their team that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He is not a perfect player — his tackling is a liability as he showed at Brighton last week — but there are not many midfielders out there who can get forward and create chances like he does.
Maybe this is just another brief moment, a flash that promises more than it delivers. But right now Spurs need someone who can do what he does. For as long as Maddison is still out, and with Bissouma and Sarr away on international duty in January, Lo Celso will be an integral part of the team.
“Gio was great, he’s been great the last two or three weeks,” Postecoglou said. “With the amount of injuries and absences we’ve had, we’ve needed everyone in the group and everybody who has come in has stepped up. Gio was very good today, not just with his work rate but you could see his quality on the ball. His passes through, and the one through to Sonny was outstanding. We needed him today and we’re going to need him going forward, because Sonny goes away now, Biss goes away, Pape goes away. I thought he was a good contributor.”
muttley
Alert Team
Yeah, a really informed view of Gio.
It did used to bug me that Gio used to get tarred with the same brush as Tanguy. Probably because they arrived at the same time, had injuries and didn't make the impact so went on loan.
I still wonder whether Gio will be around that long though.
It did used to bug me that Gio used to get tarred with the same brush as Tanguy. Probably because they arrived at the same time, had injuries and didn't make the impact so went on loan.
I still wonder whether Gio will be around that long though.
Spursex
Alert Team
Ange persuaded him to stay in the summer, I believe we have a put option on another year, so could actually still have 2.5 years left to run.
The issue of course with him is his injury record, which is pretty horrible, so I suspect we wouldn't sell him now unless we got a silly offer for him, so maybe next summer, who knows - he really needs to stay fit.
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I honestly think with some maturity growth he could be a great back up for Madds. A rotation of Madds/Bents/Gio is quite nice in my opinion.
Littlest Hobo
Vital 1st Team Regular
That was the underlying thought in my previous post. OK i might not trust him to be someone to build the team around. He is as likely to breakdown as anyone. But he is a top player who gives 100% and is capable as most of a good performance. He is also the kind of compliment to the likes of Maddison we need as its not easy to find those kind of midfielders.
IMO LoCelso, Bents, Hoj, Skip & Kulu need to battle through these next few weeks and build something that the likes of Sarr/Biss/Madds can come back and have to raise their standards to get back in.
Maddison/Bentancur/LoCelso/Bissouma/Skipp/Sarr has the right kind of everything for me if all fit and available.
Spursex
Alert Team
Giovani Lo Celso reveals Ange Postecoglou pre-season talk..
Giovani Lo Celso has revealed that he is "really grateful" to Ange Postecoglou for the belief he has shown in him since his return to Tottenham. Having spent 18 months out on loan in Spain with Villarreal, question marks surrounded the future of the Spurs midfielder upon heading back to north London in the summer.
A player that fits perfectly into Postecoglou's system due to the qualities he brings in the middle of the park, the Australian made it clear to Lo Celso in pre-season that he wanted him to stay at the club. The opening weeks of the campaign proved to be frustrating for the player after such a strong pre-season but he has produced some excellent displays since seeing his minutes increase in early November.
On the scoresheet in the Aston Villa and Man City games, as well as registering two assists in Sunday's 3-1 win over Bournemouth, Spurs fans are now starting to see the best of Lo Celso in a Tottenham shirt. That is all down to Postecoglou's belief in the 27-year-old, who has admitted that he loves the head coach's idea of football.
"In pre-season he told me that he wanted me to stay," explained the Argentina international in an interview in Tottenham's matchday programme for the Bournemouth game. "I was really grateful for his belief in me, so I worked hard and showed every day that I wanted to be here and play.
"I've felt really comfortable - in training and in the way he coaches. I love his idea of football which gave me the belief that I could find a place in his team. The coaching staff have helped as well as my teammates
"It's a personal challenge for my career but the coach's plan and philosophy is helping me improve my game because he asks me and wants me to do specific things in my role. Things have been going great - he's made me feel very confident and comfortable since he joined."
Missing Spurs' games in September through injury, the following month proved to be an important one for the midfielder as he got some much-needed minutes under his belt on the international stage. Scoring against Aston Villa and Man City, Lo Celso opened up on Postecoglou's influence in big games and ensuring that Tottenham are "the protagonists" regardless of whoever they're facing.
"At the start of the season it didn't go as I hoped," admitted the former Real Betis star. "I suffered an injury which meant I missed several games and the international break in September. From the Chelsea defeat we had to stay strong as a group with many players out injured and stand up to whoever we played against.
"After that I got into the swing of things. I played two games for Argentina in October, against Uruguay and then Brazil in the Maracana, and scored some goals against against Villa and City. It was a relief to score, a big release to let off some steam after everything I'd been through because it was my first start in a while.
"The deflection did help but scoring against 'Dibu' (Emiliano Martinez) is special. I believe we should've won that game, but we then went to City and had to work really hard and the goal was really special.
"With Ange he's a real motivator and he gives a lot to the team in games like that. He's really into the finer details and prepares for games meticulously with a way of playing that means we're the protagonists against whoever we face - this is a great thing. I think the team is on the right track."
Operating in one of the No.8 positions in Postecoglou's team, Lo Celso is loving his attacking role as he tries to influence things in the final third for Tottenham. Thriving under the guidance of the head coach, the midfielder believes that Postecoglou is extracting the very best out of his whole squad.
The signs are there with Lo Celso and Richarlison … some players make instant impressions , some take longer .
You have to hand it to Ange , he certainly is turning things around …
A lot on here were worried about Porro ,as well . …. If Ange can get a tune out of Lo Celso …..
You have to hand it to Ange , he certainly is turning things around …
A lot on here were worried about Porro ,as well . …. If Ange can get a tune out of Lo Celso …..
muttley
Alert Team
If only we could have Bents, Biss, Sarr, Madds and Gio all fit at the same time it gets you wondering what we could achieve.
Hopefully we'll have UEFA footie next season and absolutely need that depth, if not more.
It does beggar the question …. Can Ange get anything out of Ndombele .
Pompey Yid
Vital Champions League
Jeez, some question that Walt...answer would be if he does/did get anything out of the fat one, I think he would be labelled...Genius etc!
TQ2Spurs
Vital Champions League
Stop it Walt, you know very well he'll be down the Kebab shop with Luke Littler.
Spursex
Alert Team
I can't see it now, he started so promisingly with us, but has gone backwards ever since, unless or until he gets rid of his 12 person entourage, my bet is he's never going to bounce back; he's a perfect place to do that now, and just can't seem to keep/get fit.
Critical_Spur
Vital Football Hero
I'd only give ND a chance if he opts to pay the club 100 grand a week for OUR services, i.e., another opportunity.
Seriously though, the sooner the guy moves on the quicker we can look to replenish.
As for Lo Celso, I'd be over the moon if 1) he can stay fit and 2) continue on his new found trejectory. While Maddi is out, it really has given him the platform to shine and with Son off to Asia, Kulu can perhaps be evaluated on the front left.
I must admit though, I have noticed LoCo, as well as Maddi (as Kane used to also), they go looking for the ball as they know they have the primary responsibility of instigating our attacks.
Seriously though, the sooner the guy moves on the quicker we can look to replenish.
As for Lo Celso, I'd be over the moon if 1) he can stay fit and 2) continue on his new found trejectory. While Maddi is out, it really has given him the platform to shine and with Son off to Asia, Kulu can perhaps be evaluated on the front left.
I must admit though, I have noticed LoCo, as well as Maddi (as Kane used to also), they go looking for the ball as they know they have the primary responsibility of instigating our attacks.
