Opinion: Ange’s Disappointing Decision as Top-Performing Tottenham Ace Benched Against Leicester City

Tottenham Hotspur kicks off their 2024/25 Premier League season with an away match against newly-promoted Leicester City.

Steve Cooper, the new manager of Leicester, will be eager to start his tenure at the King Power Stadium with a significant win against a traditional top-six team.

Given the strong starts of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou will be aiming for a similar result. However, his choice to bench Dejan Kulusevski has raised eyebrows.

Spurs announced their starting lineup on their official X account on 19 August, leaving many fans disappointed by Kulusevski’s omission.

Kulusevski had a promising pre-season and was a standout in Spurs’ 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on 10 August at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Swedish forward scored twice, completed one of his two dribble attempts, and had a 71% pass completion rate according to SofaScore.

Additionally, he won five ground duels and drew four fouls while playing through the middle.

Dominic Solanke starting up front is expected, but Brennan Johnson being chosen over Kulusevski on the right is surprising.

Johnson had a quiet game against Bayern, with only 18 touches and no accurate crosses, key passes, or shots on goal.

Postecoglou will need Johnson to step up significantly against Leicester if his decision to bench Kulusevski is to be vindicated.