Opinion: Kulusevski’s Poor Showing vs. Forest Makes Sherwood’s Pre-Game Praise Look Misguided

Swedish international Dejan Kulusevski has been a standout performer in the Premier League this season, contributing five goals and three assists in the final third.

His efforts even earned him the title of Spurs’ “Player of the Season so far” from Tim Sherwood during a discussion on Amazon Prime (26 December, 3:03 pm).

However, Kulusevski’s recent performance left much to be desired as Tottenham suffered a crushing 6-3 defeat to Liverpool.

Manager Ange Postecoglou might have felt particularly disappointed, given the 24-year-old’s lack of impact in the match.

Questions were also raised over Postecoglou’s decision to bench James Maddison, a move that didn’t yield the desired results despite Maddison’s late introduction.

Kulusevski played the entire match but failed to deliver his usual influence.

According to FotMob, he didn’t manage a single shot on target (0/1), completed only 80% of his passes, and recorded an xG of just 0.02.

He succeeded in only 33% of his dribbles, was dispossessed three times, and failed to deliver any accurate crosses.

Defensively, he struggled as well, being dribbled past, winning only 15% of his ground duels, and committing three fouls without receiving a booking.

Spurs’ season under Postecoglou has been marked by inconsistency, and Kulusevski’s dip in form adds to the challenges facing the manager.

While Tottenham has shown glimpses of promise, including moving into third place in the league, performances like this raise pressing questions about the team’s trajectory.

For now, only Postecoglou can determine how to address such underwhelming displays and ensure his team regains momentum.