Tottenham scouting report at Euro 2024 as Radu Dragusin makes case to Ange Postecoglou

It’s been difficult for Radu Dragusin to show what he can do in a Tottenham shirt when he can hardly get a game under Ange Postecoglou. Euro 2024 is therefore important to the centre-back in more ways than one.

Dragusin is a key player for Romania - perhaps even their best - and he played the full 90 minutes of their 1-1 draw with Slovakia on Wednesday, which was enough to send both teams through to the knockout stages.

But on an individual level, how did he fare? Express Sport was in Frankfurt to keep a close eye on Dragusin, and here’s what we made of his performance...

One of the key attributes that makes Dragusin stick out like a sore thumb among Romania’s defensive ranks is a calmness in possession. It’s a trait that’s becoming increasingly important for defenders, particularly at top teams who look to build out from the back.

Dragusin showed that quality within two minutes. Emotions ran high as Romania fans, who greatly outnumbered Slovakia’s, bellowed from the stands. But the Spurs man kept a cool head when the ball landed at his feet; taking a touch, carrying the ball and picking a pass when many would have hoofed it to safety.

He doesn’t always go for the safe option, either. And, naturally, that means things don’t always go his way. An ambitious 30-yard ping from deep inside his own half missed its mark by miles and went sailing out of play in the first half but, crucially, it didn’t land his team in hot water.

There’s a touch of class about Dragusin when he’s on the ball. While many defenders are confident but clunky, the Romanian is assured, and able to get himself out of sticky situations when the time comes.

The second attribute which no doubt helped convince Tottenham to pay just shy of £27million to Genoa back in January is top-tier athleticism.

Dragusin’s long stride and searing pace is a godsend for Romania when in retreat. The 22-year-old put the burners on to stop a promising Slovakia attack in the first period, and when he made up the ground and arrived on the scene, he was wise enough not to go flying into a tackle, but to wait until back-up arrived.

His raw speed also means attackers think twice before attempting to go past him. On more than one occasion, Slovakia forwards opted to take their shot early and try a speculative effort from distance - judging that to be their best chance of scoring when faced with a one-on-one against Dragusin.

Crucially, pace in defence is something Postecoglou values highly. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are a testament to that, with the Aussie’s death-defying high line demanding that those in the back-four are able to keep up with the quickest strikers on the planet.

For all of Dragusin’s good points, it wasn’t the perfect performance. The fact he’s still a rough diamond was emphasised when a cross came in from the Slovakian left and his wayward clearance from the six-yard box looped perilously up in the air. One of Dragusin’s team-mates ultimately bailed him out near the goal line, but it was a good example of the notion that he is perhaps not as polished as some of his fellow Tottenham defenders over the course of 90 minutes.

Overall, though, it was a good day for the youngster. Things could have gone south for Romania when Ondrej Duda put Slovakia ahead, on a day which saw all four teams in the group begin level on three points each.

But they weathered the storm and got back on terms thanks to a penalty - albeit a dubious one - won by Ianis Hagi. Razvan Marin stepped up and put it in the top corner, before a second-half thunderstorm added extra bite to the contest, in which the two nations couldn’t be separated. The result sees Romania romp through to the last 16 as group winners, with Slovakia finishing as one of the four best third-place teams.