Tottenham Hotspur maintained their unbeaten start to the new Premier League campaign with a commendable 2-2 draw away to rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with Ange Postecoglou's side twice coming from behind to secure a point at the Emirates.
In years gone by, the Lilywhites may have wilted in such a high-profile contest – particularly with Cristian Romero netting an own goal and giving away a penalty – yet this new crop of talent appears to be made of sterner stuff, despite the free-flowing football that Postecoglou has been keen to introduce.
That battling nature was perhaps typified best by midfield maestro, Yves Bissouma, with the former Brighton and Hove Albion man looking back to his best after enduring an injury-hit debut campaign last time out.
Like a cliched 'new signing' this time around, the Mali international was truly immense against the Gunners, illustrating his bravery both in and out of possession after having won seven of his ten total duels on the day, while also enjoying a remarkable 95% pass accuracy rate – the highest of any player for either side.
After largely being on the periphery in 2022/23, Bissouma looks likely to be central to the north Londoners moving forward, with his return to the side seemingly one of the key differences from last season's dismal campaign.
Another alteration that has been made since Postecoglou's arrival has been at left-back, with the emergence of young Destiny Udogie – who was also impressive at the weekend – also something to savour.
How did Udogie perform against Arsenal?
It had initially looked like being a tough afternoon for the promising Italian in what was arguably his biggest test since his belated arrival at Spurs over the summer, after spending last season back on loan at Serie A side, Udinese.
Faced with one of the league's in-form wingers in Bukayo Saka – who reached double figures for both goals and assists in the top-flight last term – the 20-year-old could have been mistaken for a rabbit in the headlights initially, notably picking up an early yellow card to make life even more difficult.
The full-back also then proceeded to tee up Eddie Nketiah with an errant back pass, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville stating in commentary at the time that it was "all getting a bit too much" for the defender, as he was under "real pressure against Saka".
To his credit, while many managers would have looked to the experienced figure of Ben Davies at half-time – or even sooner – Postecoglou kept faith with the Verona native, with the 58-year-old even exclaiming at full-time that he believed that Udogie was "the dominant player on that side of the pitch" in the end.
In truth, Udogie seemingly warranted an apology or praise from Neville for the manner in which he fought back after the break, ultimately finishing the match having made eight tackles as a marker of his persistence.
Such a turnaround in fortunes against Mikel Arteta's men was a 'credit to his maturity' – as per football.london's Alasdair Gold – with it having been yet another reminder of just how good young Udogie is.
How good is Destiny Udogie?
As footballJOE's Hunter Godson stated earlier this season, the 6 foot 2 starlet could get "into every team in the world already" as he is "sickeningly good", having already registered two assists in just six league outings so far this term.
The £15m addition – who contributed 15 goals and assists in 71 games for his former employers – had primarily been deployed in a wing-back berth prior to this season, yet has settled in smoothly into Postecoglou's ranks.
In truth, the Italy U21 international appears to have finally solved what has been a problem position for those at N17 in recent years, with Daniel Levy and co having arguably not replaced former "hero" Danny Rose until now – as hailed by writer Ryan Rosenblatt.
How many appearances did Danny Rose make for Spurs?
Signed from Leeds United on a £1m deal back in 2007, the diminutive defender went on to become a mainstay at White Hart Lane over the next decade or so, making himself an instant cult figure among supporters following his stunning effort on debut against the Gunners.
While the next few years would be littered with loan spells, the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino seemingly changed his fortunes, with the Doncaster-born ace forming part of a famed backline including the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Kyle Walker – as well as subsequently, Kieran Trippier.
At his pomp, the left-back was even mooted for a £50m switch to Manchester United as an indication of how highly-regarded he was in the game, having also been part of the Spurs side that reached the Champions League final under Pochettino in 2019.
Although that stellar spell came to a sour end as Rose was frozen out by Jose Mourinho – before joining Watford in 2021 – he was still able to rack up 213 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring nine goals and contributing 29 assists.
Since that acrimonious exit, there has arguably not been a nailed-on, first-choice option to replace the 33-year-old, with the full-back berths, in general, having not been taken up by two "dynamic" options "since Walker and Rose" – as per 90min's Sean Walsh.
Has Danny Rose been replaced at Tottenham?
The Lilywhites did snap up Sergio Reguilon back in the summer of 2020 in order to acquire a long-term successor to Rose – who is now without a club – yet the current Man United loanee has hardly set the world alight since then, with Spurs insider John Wenham describing him as "just not that good" last year.
Equally, one-time wonderkid Ryan Sessegnon – who had previously been likened to Gareth Bale – has also failed to nail down that starting berth due to his continued injury woes, having even been described as "a Championship player" by Wenham.
The shift to a back three or back five under Antonio Conte did see the aforementioned Davies slot in on the left flank, although the Welshman is a solid, albeit unspectacular performer at best, with pundit Gabby Agbonlahor suggesting back in May that the club should replace the 30-year-old as he is "struggling to put in top performances".
Strengths
Weaknesses
Dribbling
Holding onto the ball
Tackling
Crossing
Ball interception
With Udogie in tow, however, a proper replacement for Rose appears to have been found, with the hope being that the youngster can also enjoy a lengthy, fruitful stint at N17, much like the Englishman before him.
Although supporters won't want to get carried away just yet, it looks as if the golden days of Pochettino could be set to return under the seemingly infallible, Postecoglou.
