Tottenham Hotspur‘s season in the Premier League has been a rollercoaster, with more downs than ups. They are placed sixth in the league with five wins and four losses in nine games. Inconsistent is the word that fits Spurs’ current form accurately. In one instant they look like they have finally found the winning formula and in the next, they look clueless and shaken. Following through on their wins has been a big issue that Nuno has been unable to address. Amidst Tottenham’s inconsistency, there is one player at least who seems to have found his form this season, and that is Spanish left-back Sergio Regulion.
Although Regulion started his career at Spurs brightly, his performances declined slowly as the season progressed. Moving on to the current season, he has been able to resurrect his form once again. In the previous season’s he was criticized for misjudging positions and getting caught at the break. But that seems to be a thing of the past as he has become much more consistent with his positional plays, rarely making any mistakes. In Tottenham’s biggest win perhaps in recent games, a 3-2 victory away at Newcastle, Regulion was among the players who displayed their best form. He made an assist for Ndombele’s equaliser and later denied Saint-Maximin from levelling the scoreline. In addition, his forward burst in the 82nd minute during Tottenham’s counterattack forced Shelvey to make a foul, following which Shelvey was sent off via a second yellow card. Although his defensive attributes have not changed that much, he has been more involved in the game in the attacking sense by making more forward passes and long crosses.
Let’s dive into his stats this season to understand the areas where he has improved.
Regulion ranks highly in terms of passing and progression, with many of his stats surpassing the league median value. His most notable stats are his assists per 90 and crosses per 90. His forward passes and long passes have improved in quality. In addition, Regulion’s awareness allows him to contribute in the build-up phases for his team.
Defensively, Regulion has been solid. He has a tackle success rate of 53% this season and he ranks highly in terms of defensive actions per 90, defensive duels per 90 and loose ball duels per 90. Regulion is an aggressive defender who excels at pressing and defending near the centre and in the opposition half.
His pass map displays his multiple crosses and passes carrying high xT into the opposition box. Although he is taking fewer touches per game this season, he has become more creative which indicates that he has been much more precise with his crosses. His chance creation per game has also improved.
Regulion’s heat map from this season indicates his high work rate, especially in the opponent half. Reguilon’s agility and pace allow him to cover vast spaces and engage in duels with the opposition winger.
Regulion is ranked fifth in terms of successful crosses which further highlights his accuracy with crosses. So far, he has averaged 1.56 crosses per game. He is always eager to get into attacking positions and delivers crosses carrying high threat.
In Regulion, Tottenham have a fullback who balances his attacking attributes with his defensive ones. His combination of pace, technical ability and defensive robustness have been much more notable this season. If his stats are any indication, Regulion has the capability to follow through on his impressive start this season.
