Luongo previously had a loan spell at Ipswich Town this season, which was cut short due to a change of manager. During his time at the Championship club he relished the battle of first team football and was eager to show his less heralded attacking talents, describing himself as a box to box midfielder rather than just a defensive one. The player admitted to being disappointed with his performance on the ball against Oldham in his debut, which was watched by Tim Sherwood, Les Ferdinand and Chris Ramsay. In Monday's game, Luongo lined up in central midfield beside holder Alan Navarro, with Dean Ferry and Adam Rooney on the right and left flank respectively. Tottenham teammate Parrett played ahead of the midfield, just off striker James Collins.
Doncaster were the better side throughout the game, in particular the second half. As the home side piled on the pressure, Luongo performed two exceptional blocks in the area, displaying immense agility and positioning. He may have wanted to display more of his ability on the ball before the game, but his primary role was illustrated brilliantly here.
Another feature of Luongo's defensive game is how tenacious and deceptively strong he is. Both attributes were needed, as throughout the game Swindon were often outnumbered in midfield. Parrett contributed little defensively, nor did Rooney on the left (a striker by trade). Swindon would often win possession deep with no immediate out-ball available, leading to the central midfielders being put under immediate pressure (James Coppinger, playing off the striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation for Doncaster, worked tirelessly off the ball). Luongo showed great strength on numerous occasions, using his body to shield the ball well before offloading a pass to retain possession.
Because of this pressure, it was difficult for Luongo to show much attacking ability on the ball. However, there were still glimpses of his talent, particularly in the first half before Doncaster began to take a stranglehold on the game. Again Luongo used his physical strength, moving past players before passing to a teammate. In this respect, he looks a bit similar to Mousa Dembélé, albeit without the Belgian's even bigger physicality and much better technique. But at only 20 years old, it's a very promising ability for a younger player to already have.
So, in difficult circumstances it was an impressive performance by Luongo. There were moments where he was crowded out or chose the wrong option, but his team were outclassed on the day. The Tottenham trio were signed to boost Swindon's squad after they picked up a few recent injuries, but will they keep their places once the injured return? Luongo was easily the pick of the three, but with veteran Tommy Miller returning from injury soon, a player who can now focus solely on playing rather than having to decide substitutions with Darren Ward in the middle of matches, his position may be under threat. But given Luongo's performance on Monday, plus the fact that Swindon's five remaining matches coming within nineteen days of each other, the Australian will surely have a large part to play.
Elsewhere in the game, Nathan Byrne had a torrid time up against one of the division's best wingers in Dave Cotterill. The Doncaster man had an impressive 18 assists this season (more than anyone in the top four divisions), along with 10 goals. Byrne seemed to have been targeted by the Doncaster players with a few physical tackles early on, but he recovered his composure and mostly kept Cotterill quiet for the first 45 minutes. But in the second half Cotterill showed his class, beating his man time and time again. With Byrne 21 in the summer and Adam Smith impressing in the Championship, it's doubtful that he'll get much of a chance at White Hart Lane in the near future.
Dean Parrett was tasked with linking play between the midfield and attack. With striker James Collins well marshalled by Rob Jones throughout, it was a difficult game for the 21 year old. He did display an admirable directness at times, dribbling at the Doncaster defence, but those runs usually yielded very little. He also drilled a couple of shots over the crossbar, showing decent technique, but he was anonymous for large parts of the game. To be fair, Swindon were away to the league leaders and Parrett was playing a difficult role in a new team, but it would be surprising to see him in a Tottenham shirt again.
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