Lewis Holtby: The Premier League's Most Underrated Player by Jeff Graceffo

Throughout my years of watching soccer, I often recognized greatness without having to be sold on a player's abilities.  Casually, I'd ask a friend, "hey, who is number...". For instance, I remember watching the U.S.A. face the Netherlands in a 2003 friendly when I noticed a fearless man in orange take on an American defender whose name was Arjen Robben.  I watched the 2003 Gold Cup where I saw a midfielder, who turned out to be Kaka, slice through the defense and lay off a perfect through ball. The same thing happened in 2010 when I saw Gareth Bale race down the left wing in a pre-season friendly in New York.  These players don't require a sales pitch. Their ability speaks for itself.


However, in the modern era, one can not read a story or watch a game without being bombarded with comments about the greatness of certain players.  These public relations campaigns, which are implemented by agents and managers to convince the public and clubs that their clients are special players is getting painfully tiring.  It seems that they believe the more you repeat something, the more people will believe it. During the past few years I've listened on and on about players such as Ashley Young, Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas, Mario Gotze, and I've seen nothing to merit the attention and praise they receive.  However, there are currently several underrated players within the premiership who can change the game, and one such player is Tottenham midfielder, Lewis Holtby.

The 23-year old German arrived at Tottenham during January's transfer window from Schalke, and was unknown to me as GolTV's Bundesliga broadcasts are subpar . Although he wasn't in the starting eleven, he often appeared as a substitute. In spite of minimal playing time, he displayed the abilities an attacking midfielder needs; quickness, awareness, a great touch, and wise decision making. It has almost been one year since he joined Spurs and I've yet to witness him make a bad pass. Furthermore, his awareness is so good that he hasn't made a bad decision with the ball. He makes the simple decision. Often times, players try to do too much with the ball, but Holtby keeps it simple and doesn't lose possession. If he does lose the ball, it's because the pass he received was off.  In addition, he doesn't stop moving off of the ball. After distributing the ball, he runs into open space to provide additional options for this teammate.

Unfortunately, Holtby's play was completely overshadowed by the Welsh Wizard, Gareth Bale. As Bale's summer exit seemed imminent, it was thought that Holtby would receive an expanded role until they acquired Danish star Christian Eriksen. Eriksen has been a highly rated player for years and is deserving of his place, especially with Holty recovering from a pre-season injury. As Holtby began his recovery, he featured in Tottenham's Europa League, and Capital One Cup games in which he shined. In each appearance he setup numerous goals that led to Tottenham victories. In last week's Europa League game he had a role in each goal of the 4-0 victory.  While Eriksen's play has been good, Holtby's form demanded some playing time in the Premiership. On September 22 at Cardiff, Holtby entered a 0-0 game in the 89th minute for Eriksen, and he dazzled. He nearly set up two goals, and in the 93rd his through ball to Erik Lamela began the string of play that led to Paulinho's game winner.  In just four minutes, Holtby's play broke the deadlock and put Spurs at the top of the table. While it was Holtby's play that led to the goal, the announcers and media gave the attention to Lamela and Paulinho, which is completely unfair. Holtby was the spark.

During this past weekend's London Derby against Chelsea, Holtby came on in the 70th. Although I had great hope, Tottenham did not click in the second half.  They were unable to string together three or four passes in a row until Fernando Torres was sent off in the 80th.  Holtby continuously ran into open space but his teammates were unable to provide him the ball at his feet. Still, when he possessed the ball his passes were crisp and he tried to play at a high tempo with fluidity.

As the season progresses, I believe that Holtby will receive more playing time, and will provide fantastic displays of football. He merely needs the opportunity. Holtby is unfortunate to have a player of Eriksen's capability in front of him. If he were at clubs such as Liverpool, Everton, or Manchester United he would walk into the starting eleven today.  Keep an eye out for #14 in a Spurs jersey. He is a game changer.

By Jeff Graceffo