Three areas Lucas Bergvall should look to improve at Tottenham next season - Opinion

Lucas Bergvall was a bright spark for Tottenham Hotspur last season, but there are still aspects of his game which could be improved.

Lucas Bergvall arrived at Tottenham as a relatively unknown player. However, anyone who saw compilations from his time at Djurgården will have been excited to witness his excellent dribbling.

Indeed, his ability to carry the ball has not disappointed so far. The young Swede brought life and energy to Ange Postecoglou’s team when others often went missing.

There were far too many matches when Tottenham failed to score and looked lethargic, particularly on the road. However, every time Bergvall played, he always gave the best of himself.

Bergvall’s impact at Spurs is undeniable, which became clear when he was ruled out of the Europa League final. Supporters were devastated that he would be kept from playing due to his ankle injury and it is easy to understand why. What he did not have in experience, Bergvall made up for with his work rate. At times, he put his teammates to shame.

Lucas Bergvall has to become an attacking threat for Tottenham

It is one thing to have stood out in a team which finished 17th in the Premier League, but Thomas Frank will be looking to significantly improve his new team. As a result, the current crop of players must up their games if they wish to remain in the starting lineup.

Frank favours a 4-2-3-1 formation and he will expect at least one of his holding midfielders to help boost Tottenham’s attacking threat. Christian Norgaard is one example of this. Bagging goal contributions was not his primary role, but he still chipped in with five goals and four assists for Brentford in their last league campaign.

Bergvall made fewer appearances, but his record was still poor. He only recorded one assist and failed to score in the league. However, a lack of goal-scoring ability is not necessarily the issue. The 19-year-old needs to get himself in positions where he is able to get shots on goals and get creative.

He showed he is capable of a good finish in the Carabao Cup when he scored the winner in the first leg semi against Liverpool. This was never going to become the norm, however, because he only averaged 0.4 shots per game in the league.

Bergvall’s expected goals tally of 0.7 and expected assists of 0.82 should be of some concern, considering he made 11 league starts and a further 16 appearances off the bench.

He must show that he is capable not just in driving the ball up the pitch, but delivering the end product. In fairness, he did register two assists in the Europa League, so the signs are there.

Bergvall must cut out his errors on the pitch

Another area Bergvall can improve is by making fewer errors and this is arguably more important than the latter point. Nobody likes a bomb scare player who cannot be trusted with the ball.

Referring to Bergvall in this way would be incredibly harsh, but he did make three errors leading to goals in all competitions. Guglielmo Vicario shouted at Lucas Bergvall for conceding a goal scoring chance in Tottenham’s opening match of the previous league campaign and it is clear he requires instruction in this area.

Ultimately, Bergvall is still young and can be overly ambitious. He always wants to go on a run and sometimes this is not the right option. As he gains experience, he will learn to do the right thing for his team and show more caution in his own half.

Bergvall needs to become a defensive force in the Tottenham midfield

Bergvall was allowed flexibility under Postecoglou. The Aussie’s 4-3-3 system meant he could play further up the pitch and worry less about his defensive responsibilities. Thomas Frank has already said he wants Tottenham to play offensive football, but in order for this to happen, there needs to be a solid foundation.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham team were a joy to behold in attack, but that would not have been possible without a strong defensive line and two commanding midfielders in Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama.

Bergvall is not going to play as the attacking midfielder, so he must adapt his game to fit Frank’s style. This means becoming more physical and finding a passion for the defensive arts. If he can combine his pace ability to carry the ball with physical challenges, he could become quite the holding player.

The sky is the limit for Bergvall at Tottenham

Thomas Frank expects his Tottenham players to take risks. This is certainly in line with the way Bergvall goes about the game. He may not yet look like the ideal pivot midfielder, but he definitely has some of the right attributes.

There is a place in the Tottenham first-team squad for Bergvall and as a promising youngster who is committed to the club long-term, he is going to get a reasonable amount of game time. Once he smooths out his game and finds his place in Frank’s team, Bergvall should become quite the player.

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