Conor Gallagher will always face the difficult task of impressing at Tottenham Hotspur given his previous links with Chelsea, but given the turmoil he experienced in N17, his hopes of a smooth return to the Premier League were far from easy.
The 26-year-old, who signed in late January, is already working under Spurs’ third manager and the new signing is likely to be disrupted by such upheaval, especially after leaving the staid environment of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
First impressions don’t necessarily have to be fatal, but it must be said that the Englishman, who had not scored a goal until last weekend, did not have the most productive start.
The midfielder now looks like a key deputy under manager Roberto De Zerbi and a trip to Villa Park could be the springboard for his stuttering Spurs career if things go well.
Why Gallagher looks like a different player under De Zerbi
Prior to the Italian’s appointment, Gallagher had not started in the last three league games, but was hooked in the first hour against Arsenal and Fulham, and lined up on the unconventional right wing against Fulham.
However, the dynamics have changed under the new regime and the £34m signing started each of the last four games, but looked particularly influential after the defeat to Sunderland.
For example, against Brighton & Hove Albion, he played a more all-action, box-to-box role, memorably leading the press from the front and cornering Bad Verbruggen at one stage.
Gallagher, who De Zerbi previously described as a player he “loved” at Chelsea, is looking closer to his usual self in Spurs’ current set-up, with the win against Aston Villa being the club’s best moment to date.
The opener, a long-range strike, showed there was more to his game than just his out-of-possession heroics, as he scored and assisted 12 Premier League goals in his final year at Stamford Bridge.
Gallagher – vs Wolves & Villa | ||
|---|---|---|
wolf | status | villa |
89 | minutes | 90 |
49 | touch | 62 |
94% | Pass accuracy | 86% |
2 | key pass | 0 |
0 | goal or assist | 1 |
5 | ball lost | 12 |
0 | shot | 1 |
1/1 | dribble | 0/1 |
2/3 | tackle | 2/3 |
8 | collect | 6 |
5/11 | won a duel | 4/7 |
That influence came while operating primarily as an advanced midfielder, and this small resurgence in recent weeks has come as De Zerbi has allowed him to repeat that.
Gallagher is clearly benefiting from changes in the dugout, but he’s not the only one.
Spurs star has made an even bigger comeback than De Zerbi
Security is still not guaranteed for the North Londoners, and indeed the club with De Zerbi at the helm have far more opportunities than they did under Tudor, and the short interim period feels like a wasted period for all involved.
The fear was the long-term effects that could arise from the Croatian’s seven-game stint in charge, constantly ignoring Xavi Simons and brutally attacking young goalkeeper Antonin Kinski.
talk on the way that On the night in Madrid, TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher suggested that Kinski’s early departure, which appeared to be “over” after such a public humiliation, would be the beginning of the end of his Tottenham career.
“If you’re going to drag him out after 16 minutes, then you’re done for the club as a goalkeeper. Kinski can’t recover from this. He’s decided to start, so you can’t drag him out at this stage, right? He’s going to do it soon!”
“By the way, that’s as much about the coach as it is about Kinski. I feel for him.”
On the smooth Metropolitano turf, the Czech stopper endured every keeper’s worst nightmare, being brought on as a substitute for the error-filled Guglielmo Vicario and missing big chances.
Thankfully, Vicario’s absence due to hernia surgery gave Kinski a new chance, and the 23-year-old was able to quickly put his Champions League debacle behind him without prolonging and exacerbating such a horror show.
To his credit, the former Slavia Prague literally played against a physical Sunderland team at the Stadium of Light and grabbed his chances with both hands from the start.
The only thing he could improve on in this game was his deflections, but against the Seagulls there was little he could do with either shot, and the aforementioned Verbruggen looked more erratic on the other side.
Meanwhile, against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Kinski’s last gasp thwarted Joao Gomez’s equalizer and Gallagher said afterwards that his young team-mate “deserved” this comeback as a result of their hard work behind the scenes.
As he showed in the last game, he looked like the perfect De Zerbi keeper, completing 20 of his 21 passes inside his own half and looking very confident with the ball at his feet.
Better players may have withered after that 16 minutes of madness last month, but under De Zerbi, Kinski is quietly becoming one of the top names on the team sheet.
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