Theo Walcott was full of praise for the impact Wilson Odobert enjoyed off the bench against Manchester United on Saturday.
Spurs drew 2-2 with Man United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Matthijs de Ligt’s stoppage-time header levelling the scores just minutes after Richarlison had put Thomas Frank‘s side ahead.
Brayn Mbeumo had opened the scoring for the visitors, with the Lilywhites forced to wait until the 84th minute to get back on terms through Mathys Tel.
Joao Palhinha put in an impressive performance against Manchester United, with the Portugal international proving dominant in the midfield battle.
But after a fifth consecutive Premier League match at home without victory, Frank was slammed for his impact at Tottenham.
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Wilson Odobert was ‘absolutely outstanding’
James Maddison was among the plaudits for Odobert after his performance off the bench against Manchester United.
The winger completed 100 per cent of his passes, created two big chances and bagged an assist for Richarlison’s goal in his 45 minutes on the pitch.
It was a faultless performance from the 20-year-old, who also won all four of his duels and completed two successful dribbles.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day on Saturday, Walcott said: “Odobert was absolutely outstanding when he came on.
“A player who has to be able to take risks and play with that freedom and the energy, and that’s what you have to be able to do as a substitute, you need to be able to commit bodies.
“What I like about him, he likes to put the ball in when you have space, he likes to change his game – and this is what I talk about when I talk about not being predictable – when you give players, who are ball-carriers, in this amount of space, Manchester United start dropping.”
Thomas Frank’s decision pays off
It was a woeful first half from Tottenham yet again on Saturday. Frank’s team could not even muster a shot on target and fell behind.
The Dane turned to his bench, bringing on Odobert at the break, Destiny Udogie on in the 67th minute, and Tel on in the 79th.
All three players would finish the game with direct goal contributions as Tottenham fought back, despite ultimately being forced to settle for just a point.
“Trust the manager’s process,” Walcott said. “I think that’s one thing, as fans, you watch games, you’re frustrated in the moment, but look, they’re there for a reason.
“Thomas Frank’s a good manager, he knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s made the right decision there.”
It’s about time we see a 90-minute performance from Spurs at home; it surely can’t be far away.