Complete midfielder?
Tottenham were expected to miss Luka Modric this season but the performances of Mousa Dembele have ensured that Andre Villas-Boas' team are flying high in third place in the Premier League. Adam Bate looks at the statistics and wonders whether the Belgian is the complete midfielder.
Saturday 5 January 2013 01:03, UK
Adam Bate examines the remarkable statistics of Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele.
"He is irreplaceable," said former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp in the summer. He was talking about Spurs' star playmaker Luka Modric who was bound for Real Madrid. "But if they get massive money, they can go and get three or four players and improve the team in other areas." In fact, Spurs were able to effectively replace Modric with just one signing for a fraction of the fee - Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele from Fulham. Just don't tell the 25-year-old he's the replacement. "I never saw myself as the replacement for Luka," Dembele told the Daily Mail recently. "I feel like I'm a totally different player. For me I like to touch the ball as much as possible. I like to do defensive work and attack from midfield. I think I can do both." Indeed, he is a very different player. Even in the age of universality, Dembele feels like something new - a man capable of doing everything. Perhaps even, the complete midfielder...
