Tottenham were left frustrated after playing out a goalless draw with Swansea City at Wembley. It was a bit of a flat team performance from Spurs against a visiting team that came to defend. So how did Mauricio Pochettino’s men do individually?
Hugo Lloris, 6
Had almost nothing to do. Distribution slightly dodgy in the first half.
Toby Alderweireld, 6
Composed as usual in defence. His long diagonal passes weren’t as accurate as they can be, and he misplaced a couple of crosses.
Davinson Sanchez, 7
Tammy Abraham gave him a bit of trouble but he dealt with him brilliantly for the most part. Continues to look like a great bit of business.
Jan Vertonghen, 6
Solid at the back and drove forward with the ball whenever possible, but let himself down with two or three wayward shots.
Kieran Trippier, 5
Ineffective on the right in the first half. Did even less after the break, but in fairness he isn’t a left winger.
Eric Dier, 5
Steady on the ball but too slow in starting attacks. Overhit more than one through-ball that could have led to something.
Christian Eriksen, 6
Found some gaps to exploit and tried to create some meaningful chances, one of which really should have been put away by Dele Alli. Not quite his day.
Heung-Min Son, 6
He sometimes struggled to get going from a deeper position in the first half. More advanced after the break but perhaps quieter.
Moussa Sissoko, 5
As usual he looked devoid of confidence on the ball, but did set up a chance for Harry Kane. Did very little when he moved onto the right. Subbed on the hour.
Dele Alli, 5
Got in plenty of promising positions but his touch and final product were completely absent over and over again.
Harry Kane, 6
Barely got any service. Looked dangerous whenever he was on the ball and was desperately unlucky not to score a clever header from a corner and a close range shot that hit the bar.
Substitutes
Serge Aurier, 6
Replaced Sissoko. Made some clever runs in behind and was unlucky not to win a penalty. His crossing could have been better.
Fernando Llorente, N/A
Had very few touches. Spurs didn’t change their game-plan to take advantage of his aerial ability whatsoever.
The difference between winning the prem and finishing in the top six can be seen in the way Man city dispatch a poor team like Watford and the way we deal with an even poorer team like Swansea. Why play Trippier as a left winger when he can’t play there? Why does Pochettino persist with Sissoko when he keeps proving he is not good enough, it’s bot a Wembley hoodoo, it’s poor tactics, the one place to play wingers is on a wide pitch such as Wembley, is Poch becoming to cautious now expectations are higher?
Please, Sissoko is not the culprit. he was as good as anyone out there today. Dele Alli. deserves 3 today, Eriksen was a shadow of the player he can be. I agree about Trippier, por tactics to play him in ths role. It was a very lethargic performance, a real hangover after the CL game on Wednesday. But in allfairness, with a referee who had done his job the game would have been won.
Spurs will always be same old spurs!!! Surprisingly lack ideas and game plan? This is where I fail to understand MP totally= just seated or pacing about not voicing his concerns! The team – Too slow to move forward, inaccurate or lack of fighting spirit, slow motion always move backwards, inaccuracy (lack of practice?) in shooting at goal mouth – always asleep in 1st half-what else you name it. We are never consistent and football seems far from many minds – just waiting for payday. Sorry – we will NOT win anything, finish in bottom half and players will leave to win trophies elsewhere, Back to square one. In short if you analyze yesterdays game properly, we were nothing short of pathetic. One good game and we think we conquered the world. Lastly but not least – the fans did not do much to up the pathetic performance.
Agree that tactics were too predictable. Knowing Swansea would defend like Burnley did, why not try to lure the opposition by sitting back rather than pressing from outset and hit them in the break? Get first goal early and opposition has to start playing football. Dele Ali and Sissoko are out of form. I would have started Aurier at RB and in absence of N’Koudou, why do we not use Georgiou on the left wing – I thought was pacy in pre season and had some creativity. Try new things as the title is fast getting out of reach.
Take it easy boys. 5 played. 33 to go!
Wish you are right – soon it will be 20 played and 10 to go… Same old Spurs – year in year out not much changes in this respect!! We can never win the PL !!! SOOOO SAD
Most of these comments are ridiculous. We are the same team which batted teams aside easily only a few months ago, and who played Everton off the park last week. It just didn’t happen yesterday: Ali, Eriksen and Kane happened to be out of sorts, and the others lacked creativity. Personally I think we missed Davies and Dembele (and of course Rose, Lamela) yesterday, but Poch must have had his reasons for resting them. I agree we should have made the changes earlier, bringing on Dembele or Winks, Davies and Aurier (who ideally would have started). Sissoko just lacks confidence and needs games where he can use his pace/stamina, not where he has to use skill to go past people – he can still come good, as he showed against Everton.