Martin Keown was left mightily impressed by Ivan Perisic after the Tottenham summer signing supplied two assists during Croatia’s 4-1 win over Canada at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as he told Match of the Day.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently expressed the quality Perisic can showcase with both feet, well, in the searing heat of Doha, he was showing off that talent for his country and on the biggest footballing stage of them all.
Perisic assisted Andrej Kramaric for both of his goals, including a quite sublime reverse pass for the equalising goal and then the third of Croatia’s goals that pulled the game away from Canada.
At Tottenham, Antonio Conte has used the versatile 33-year-old in a more defensive role, but at the 2022 World Cup, he has played further forward, with his latest display impressing Keown.
“He (Johnston) did quite well there,” said Keown. “He had been left in a one-on-one situation, more than a couple of times now.
“Perisic is not quite the player he once was, as we know. But he can still whip a ball in.
Perisic’s first assist: “Well, we said the door was opening. That passing. They punish you. They are zipping it around. Lovely little movement. Look at that for a reverse pass from Perisic. Then Kramaric comes onto it and tucks it into that far corner, a really wonderful finish.
Perisic’s second assist: “Just look at how empathic this is. Perisic stands up his opponent. He really wants to go wide with this. He just cuts inside. The weight of pass and then look at for a first touch from Kramaric, lets it sit and then rocks it into the far corner. The calmness.”
PERISIC UNDERRATED
After winning the Serie A title in Inter Milan colours, Conte didn’t waste any time in bringing Perisic to the north London club.
Arriving as a free-transfer, sometimes it’s the players that don’t have the big price tag on their heads that are the most valuable.
During Tottenham’s habits of constantly conceding first and producing some worrying performances this season, one man that has stood tall is Perisic.
And it’s no surprise that he is now dancing on the World Cup stage once again.
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