BBC pundit Ashley Williams waxed lyrical over Tottenham Hotspur’s Ivan Perisic following the defender’s goal on Monday for Croatia.
The 33-year-old started yet again for his national side at the World Cup, this time coming up against Japan in the round of 16.
Perisic’s side found themselves trailing going into the second half, but it was the Tottenham man who was able to claw his side level with a stunning header from around 15 yards out.
Now into the quarter-finals, Perisic has racked up a serious amount of minutes at the tournament, having already played 371 minutes across their four games (via Transfermarkt).
And on a day when Richarlison shone again for Brazil, Williams shared his admiration for the 33-year-old Croatian, who will not only be a big player for Croatia as he showed what he can bring to the Spurs side.
Williams said: “He’s a big player and obviously, we see him week-in, week-out in the Premier League, but this is a powerful header, because he’s what, about 14 yards out, still? So it’s just boom, and when we see the other angle, he’s kind of put a spin on [it]. He’s spun it in the far post.”
TIF Thoughts on Williams’ comments…
We have to agree with Williams’ judgement, but what we find particularly interesting is the different position Perisic plays for Croatia compared to where he does under Antonio Conte.
What is Perisic's best position?
Left wing-back
Left-wing
Perisic has established himself as a fine source of creativity at Spurs, having already provided seven assists across all competitions for the Lilywhites from the left wing-back position (via Transfermarkt).
However, in Zlatko Dalic’s side, the 33-year-old is not burdened with defensive responsibilities and is clearly proving more of a goal threat, given he has scored more in World Cup football than he has in 21 Spurs games.
But it has to be remembered Son Heung-min has the left-wing position locked down at the moment, though it may be something for Conte to think of with a busy festive period ahead of the north London side.