The opening match of the season against Manchester United was a curious display by Spurs. They looked energetic and the better team at both the start and the end of the match, while in-between they seemed tired and paying the price for two ill-judged pre-season friendlies played earlier this week.
The game was ultimately lost due to defensive lapse that presented Manchester United with an opportunity that the unfortunate Kyle Walker turned into his own net.
After a mixed team performance, how did you rate the individual displays of the players? Give your ratings out of ten below (voting has now closed, final results below).
TOTTENHAM VS MAN UTD (A) AVG
GK 13. Michel Vorm 6.2
DF 4. Toby Alderweireld 7.6
DF 33. Ben Davies 6.2
DF 15. Eric Dier (↓75′) 6.1
DF 5. Jan Vertonghen 6.4
DF 2. Kyle Walker 6.0
MF 42. Nabil Bentaleb (↓52′) 3.5
MF 22. Nacer Chadli 4.9
MF 19. Mousa Dembélé (↓67′) 5.7
MF 23. Christian Eriksen 6.2
FW 18. Harry Kane 6.2
SB 38. Ryan Mason (↑52′) 5.7
SB 11. Érik Lamela (↑67′) 4.8
SB 20. Dele Alli (↑75′) 5.9
5/10
Vorm 6 Walker 6 Alderweirald 7 Vertonghen 7 Davies 6 Dier 5 Benteleb 4 Chadli 5 Eriksen 6 Dembele 6 Kane 6. mason 6 Lamela 5 Alli 5.
Gave Walker 6 as he was our best attacking wide player but defencively awful, always having to chase the playyer that has got in behind him.Not unfortunate to score an OG, just bloody clumsy. The ball should have been slid out sideways. Trippier any day of the week. Dier is a CB but do to yet again awful team planning, finds himself in midfield along side a far too complacent Benteleb, neither experienced enough to help each other.This is going to be a long season
How positive Kaybee..
1-0 loss at Old Trafford is never a terrible result. Especially as we restricted them to very little and could have easily taken at least a draw… They have spent big And we were missing players too…
Disappointing result, but not awful as some are making out… Could have lost at home to West ham for example…
we got done by a man u team that to be fair never got out of 2nd gear. They are leagues above us. spurs fan. we need hernandez and we are desperately lacking quality in the middle, albeit the super dane.
Very disappointing, particularly as Man U were bedding in with their team, and we lacked the class to take advantage. I don’t want to decry Bentaleb’s future but I worry that this kid is never going to be a game changer or top four player for us. He never sees a forward pass, lacks vision and keeps it TOO bloody simple, is often error prone even in that simplicity, and tends to go missing from his DM duties. Dior is a defender (no square pegs in round holes anymore please) and our ‘midfield’ looked completely ineffective. All our possession apart from a few flurries up front in the first 20 minutes and the last 5 minutes, was in our own half (you have it, no you have it, pass back, pass sideways and so on). Man U did to us what we should have been doing to them ..pressing high ..and didn’t we make it easy for them to do that!? GET US A CENTRAL DEEP LYING CREATIVE MIDFIELDER and quick! Of course we need another attacker, and a left winger too (because even tho Chadli tries to give off the impression he’s God’s gift up front ..he ain’t), but it’s the guy who pulls the strings in midfield that is our main priority. Once we have him (playing alongside one of a number of our DMs, including Bentaleb) then watch Eriksen flourish further up the pitch, and (in turn) Kane and the wingers. Because that’s what’s missing ..a fluid link between defence, central/deep midfield, attacking midfield and the front line. That is why (with our ‘push but no run’ possession) we looked uninventive for the bulk of the game, with Kane/Chadli separated from the action, and poor old Eriksen having to constantly play deeper, as well as try and create further up, in order to get something going.
One last word on Lamela. I don’t think it’s going to happen in the last chance saloon ..but, although we have some fine young players waiting in the wings, we must finally find someone to orchestrate it all as Modric once did.
i think it has all be said i hope im wrong but our man levy might let us all down buy not signing anymore money in the bank bett eh daniel