Tottenham Hotspur moved into the top four in the Premier League on Sunday with an emphatic 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest in North London.
The Lilywhites did not make it easy in the first half, as Chris Wood levelled the scores after an own goal from Murillo had handed the hosts the lead.
However, a superb second half display from Ange Postecoglou’s team ensured that they picked up all three points, thanks to terrific goals from Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro.
The Australian head coach made a bold call at half-time as he opted to take Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma off for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, and it turned out to be a masterclass as Spurs went on to win the match.
Postecoglou must now brutally ditch Sarr from the starting XI for the team’s next game against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Why Pape Matar Sarr should be dropped
The Senegal international has emerged as a key player for Tottenham this season, and has been described as a “top-class” box-to-box midfielder by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
However, the 21-year-old star was far from at his best and his disappointing first half display led to Postecoglou withdrawing him from the game at the break.
As you can see in the table above, Sarr was not as effective in or out of possession as he usually is in the Premier League, with a lower duel success rate and pass completion rate.
The talented whiz also had fewer touches (22) than goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (47), who also made five saves and prevented 0.40 xG, as he struggled to influence the game during the first 45 minutes.
The player who could replace Pape Matar Sarr
Hojbjerg came on to replace the young midfielder and produced a fantastic second half performance, which suggests that Postecoglou should brutally ditch Sarr from the XI to make way for the Dane against Newcastle.
The former Southampton star showcased his quality in and out of possession throughout the second 45 minutes to help Spurs to come away with a 3-1 win.
He won 50% (2/4) of his duels – a 27% higher success rate than Sarr’s – and made two interceptions to cut out opposition attacks before Vicario’s goal was troubled.
Hojbjerg, who recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.3, also completed 88% of his attempted passes and 100% (3/3) of his long ball attempts throughout his time on the pitch.
These statistics show that the Denmark international offered more on and off the ball than Sarr during the clash with Forest, as he won a higher percentage of his physical duels and was more efficient in possession at finding his teammates with his passes.
Therefore, Postecoglou should brutally drop the former Metz midfielder, who could not muster up more touches than a goalkeeper against the Tricky Trees, and unleash Hojbjerg in his place next weekend.
