Jadon Sancho started for Borussia Dortmund during their Champions League defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Sky Sports pundit Liam Rosenior has interestingly claimed that Jadon Sancho is ‘that good’ that Tottenham ‘changed their shape’ just to nullify his attacking threat.
The 18-year-old started for Dortmund as they were beaten 1-0 at home to Spurs during the last-16 stages of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The German club ended up losing the tie 4-0 on aggregate as manager Mauricio Pochettino opted to play five at the back during both legs, a tactical switch which worked a treat.
In the first leg, Jan Vertonghen nullified the threat of the highly-rated winger as Spurs’ defensive line once again ensured he didn’t impact the game in the second leg.
Speaking on the Debate show on Sky Sports Premier League (05/03/2019 at 10:25 pm), former Premier League midfielder, Rosenior stated that Sancho should see the games against Tottenham as a sign of how talented he is.
“He is that good that Tottenham changed their shape and went into a back five,” Rosenoir told Sky Sports PL. “When you play with a back five with a winger that likes to stay wide, the wing-back gets tight as he wants. When you play with a four, you are narrow, Sancho running out you and being able to take you on is a completely different prospect.
“I think he is that good that teams now adapt in the way they play to be able to deal with him. Yes, he didn’t have a great game but if you watch the game from a tactical point of view, the fact that Aurier was able to be so close to him from playing with a back five, that’s down to the quality of a young, English, 18-year-old in the Champions League.”
Despite failing to help his team progress to the last eight of the Champions League, Sancho has been a success during his time in Germany and is receiving rave reviews for his performances.
Over the course of this season, he has played 33 matches in all competitions, scoring nine goals and supplying his teammates with 14 assists [transfermarkt].
In the Bundesliga, he has scored on eight occasions and provided 12 assists in 24 matches, which has resulted in his team sitting top of the table, level on points with rivals Bayern Munich.
His talent and performances to back it up have been recognised on the international stage as Gareth Southgate called him during England’s previous international matches.
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