59 passes, 79 touches- Tottenham star’s numbers vs Aston Villa speak volumes of key role under Postecoglou

Tottenham midfielder Pape Matar Sarr was solid in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur produced a strong display to beat Aston Villa 4-1 in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Just days before, they had secured a fantastic 2-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round victory over Manchester City, dumping the reigning Premier League champions out of the competition.

On Sunday, it was a statement win against Aston Villa, one that seemed to capture a sense of unity, pride and resilience within the Tottenham squad. There were ample positives to take from the display including that of Pape Matar Sarr.

Pape Matar Sarr has become a key player for Spurs under Ange Postecoglou. The Greek-Australian tactician has backed the Senegalese midfielder since arriving at the club in 2023, and that has led to the player being much more confident and that’s reflected in his performances. The 22-year-old, who scored in Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Man City in the Carabao Cup, produced a strong display against Villa at the weekend.

He started on the left of a three-man midfield that included Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski. The African enforcer won three duels, made three clearances and blocked one shot. Sarr helped his team break plenty of Villa’s attacks as evidenced by his two interceptions

He had 79 touches on the ball and completed 59 out of 64 passes, thereby, clocking a healthy 92 per cent pass success rate against an effectively high-pressing Villa side. The central midfielder made one key pass and was instrumental in Spurs’ third goal which was scored by Dominic Solanke. Thanks to his unbelievable engine, he barely stopped running and completed the full 90 minutes. (Stats courtesy: SofaScore)

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has shuffled Sarr, Bentancur and Yves Bissouma since the start of the season, marginally preferring the former’s energy, dynamism, and work rate over the other two.