Having already tortured Spurs fans in the return fixture, Sporting CP star Marcus Edwards will finally make an appearance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week. Back in 2016, after making his debut with a 15-minute cameo in the EFL Cup, the new ground was only beginning to take shape around White Hart Lane.
But now, the new stadium is complete and Edwards is living up to the potential that saw former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino liken him to Lionel Messi. Edwards has grown to become a tricky prospect in attack, as proven in Sporting’s 2-0 win over Spurs in Lisbon last month.
Ahead of the return fixture in North London, Tottenham are a victory away from the knockout stages of the Champions League. A win will see them guaranteed a place in the last 16 and could well end Sporting’s hopes of doing the same, should Marseille beat Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
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But things at Spurs are far from rosy, with morale and results dipping over recent weeks. Tottenham have lost two in a row for the first time this season with disparaging defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle United.
While Spurs fans are lamenting the lack of creativity in attack, it’s tempting to think about what could have been. With Dejan Kulusevski still out injured and no credible playmaker in the middle of the park, Edwards' talents are proving a timely reminder of what Tottenham are missing to compete at the very top.
Spurs have looked lost for ideas at times, particularly in the 2-0 loss at Old Trafford. While Antonio Conte has his side set up to counter-attack, the game plan has not been recently executed in the way he’d wish.
Lacking Kulusevski’s ingenuity and guile, Spurs have been relying upon Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur to create. But this has proven much less fruitful than anyone at Tottenham would hope and so the overarching conundrum from recent years rears its ugly head again.
Harry Kane’s poacher-playmaker abilities have been rightfully lauded, but the man set to overhaul Jimmy Greaves’ record as Tottenham’s top ever goalscorer cannot assist himself. Son Heung-min has not been nearly as reliable as his side needs him to be in front of goal this season.
Spurs must find a way to create without their Swedish winger. Reinforcements in January are surely likely to target a playmaker but it will come too late for the Champions League campaign if they continue to slump against Sporting and Marseille.
And so, a return to North London for the 23-year-old Englishman who moved to Portugal and Vitoria before he got a chance to shine for Spurs. Edwards has impressed for Sporting with five goal contributions in 10 appearances; form that has Tottenham supporters ruing their bad luck.
Tottenham were haunted by their homegrown talent Edwards in Lisbon last month. They must hope the ghost of transfers past does not strike again.
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