Tottenham Hotspur continued their impressive start to the season, as they beat Bournemouth 2-0 on the South Coast. Goals from James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski secured victory for Spurs.
From start to finish, Spurs implemented Ange Postecoglou's system to perfection. Maddison pulled the strings alongside Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr in the middle of the park. The trio combined to create the opening goal, with Maddison latching onto Sarr's intricate pass before scuffing home his effort.
Bournemouth tried to fight back at the start of the second half, but their lack of composure in front of goal was soon punished, as youngster Destiny Udogie and Kulusevski combined brilliantly to double their lead.
Tottenham sit on seven points after three games as the Postecoglou era continues to take shape. Meanwhile, Bournemouth remain winless after three games with just one point.
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Maddison dominates the show
When Maddison first signed for Spurs this summer, many felt it was well overdue; the 26-year-old could have been signed years ago, but a move never quite materialised for numerous reasons.
Yet now the former Leicester City playmaker is running the show in N17, as he continued his remarkable start to the season.
Maddison's work in the middle of the park, alongside Sarr and Bissouma, acted as a catalyst for victory. Often, the midfielder would surge forward from deep, before finding one of Richarlison, Heung-Min Son, or Kulusevski in the final third. If it was not for panic in the penalty box, Maddison could have walked away with a hat-trick of assists.
In his post-match interview, Maddison stated he has been working on improving his 'late' runs into the box. His goal on the south coast epitomised his work rate, as he made an aggressive and powerful run to perfectly latch onto Sarr's through-ball.
Combined with his threat from set-pieces and against a low block, the 26-year-old has the potential to be one of the players of the season. With overpriced fees dominating the current transfer market, £40m for Maddison looks more like a bargain every single week.
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Postecoglou is a breath of fresh air at Spurs
When Celtic appointed Postecoglou in 2021, they were in crisis mode. Spurs were a carbon copy when the Australian became the first from his home country to manage in the Premier League.
But just two months on, Postecoglou has transformed the club. Changing from Antonio Conte's back five to an aggressive, high-press back four was expected to require patience. Yet the win against Bournemouth confirmed an unbeaten start to the season, despite three challenging games.
The 57-year-old's tactics have brought the best out of Bissouma and Sarr, both of whom struggled last season. Meanwhile, his use of inverted full-backs with Udogie and Pedro Porro has brought a new style of play to north London. This is only the beginning for Postecoglou, but day by day, he continues to improve the club in every manner.
Not only has Postecoglou transformed Spurs on the pitch, he has also deeply connected with fans off it. Within interviews, the Australian has won over fans with his impressive communication skills and down-to-earth personality; that resonated with fans once again post-match on the South Coast.
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Bournemouth struggle with Udogie's threat
Andoni Iraola has had a tough start to life in the Premier League. An opening day draw to West Ham failed to inspire viewers, whilst a 3-1 draw defeat to Liverpool, despite an improved performance, brought a reality check to the Cherries.
Against Tottenham, they struggled in the middle of the park throughout the match, partially due to the effectiveness of Porro and Udogie.
The pair acted as inverted full-backs, providing extra support for Bissouma and Sarr on a regular basis. It gave the Lilywhites control throughout the 90 minutes, whilst also offering options on the attack.
Udogie's importance during the attacking phase soon proved fruitful, as he combined with Kulusevski to double their lead. The 20-year-old cut in with a driving run, and played a quick one-two with Son, before finding Kulusevski in the box with an instinctive pass across the face of goal.
Although the youngster was forced off through injury, Postecoglou confirmed the Italian will be fit for the upcoming matches.
“He didn’t want to come off, but at that stage the way the rules are at the moment, they go off for 30 seconds and I thought it was better putting Ben Davies on and keeping the tempo up in the game for us,” he said.
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Cherries lack quality in midfield
The match painted a similar picture throughout for the Cherries, as they continually struggled in the midfield battle.
Joe Rothwell, Ryan Christie, and Phillip Billing lacked cohesion; they were regularly outmuscled and outfought by Bissouma and Sarr. On the counter-attack, the trio were not as dynamic as desired. Billing came close with a curling effort at the end of the first half, but the narrow miss epitomised their efforts in front of goal.
Milos Kerkez and Max Aarons were utilised as aggressive, high-pressing full-backs, but in doing so, they stuck to the flanks. With Udogie and Porro both inverting into midfield, it left the Cherries' midfield trio outnumbered in the key battles.
New signings Alex Scott and Tyler Adams both watched from the stands as they continue to recover from their respective knee and hamstring injuries. The duo will provide a new dynamic for the Cherries - something they lacked against the Lilywhites.
