Which player does former Spur Steven Caulker feel is ‘setting the standard’ at the moment?

Steven Caulker will always have an eye what is going on defensively - not least after the team keeps a clean sheet - but he was drawn towards a particular player in his role as studio guest on our Review Show after the 2-0 win against Forest on Friday night.

That player, as you can no doubt guess, was Dejan Kulusevski, who set up our first goal, scored our second and, as Steven pointed out... ‘until the last minute, he’s running’.

Speaking with presenter and Spurs fan Ben Haines after our 2-0 win at the City Ground, Steven, who made 28 appearances 2009-2013, and won an England cap after graduating through our Academy, talked through Deki’s performance in glowing terms.

Ben: “Looking at the form guide, it’s a game we’d look to go and win, but sometimes it doesn’t work out like that...”

Steven: “I've spent a lot of my career at the bottom end of the table and when you are there you are fighting for your lives. Forest came at Spurs, but I felt we dealt with it very comfortably, the back four were fantastic and Kulusevski, he was Man of the Match. He stole the show with a few moments of magic and, in the end, it was a comfortable three points.”

Ben: “Talk us through the quality that Deki delivers for the first goal…”

Steven: “I love the fact when you've got him playing from the right that he cuts in and he's got that wand of a left foot, great delivery and the timing from Richarlison to get between the defenders... it's a great goal. As a defender, I found it so much more difficult to defend that inswinging ball, so when you've got someone like Kulusevski playing on the right, cutting onto his left and putting those balls in, you can see the defender's body shape, the ball's heading towards his goal, he's trying to twist his body around. Traditionally with a right foot (cross) you can head away from goal, those balls are so difficult to defend. Then Deki’s goal, it's all about the power. He's taken it with his wrong foot, that's a good sign of a player who is confidence, hitting it with so much power. It's a great goal.”

Ben: “He was brilliant, you see he’s brimming with confidence...”

Steven: “He's brimming with confidence, looks a really happy man, his girlfriend’s pregnant, he’s just scored a goal, Man of the Match display, three points, he’s got a lot to simile about and these are the special moments, I’m really pleased to see players enjoying it, and so he should, for me, he was the best player out there, hence why he’s bringing home the MOM. I loved him on the right and in the middle, he was a big threat and, until the last minute, he’s running. He covered most distance on the pitch and when you do that as a forward, you are setting the standard, you’re up there chasing, as he does week in, week out, and the rest of the team have to follow.”