SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Tottenham dropped two precious points at Southampton
It’s safe to say that Mauricio Pochettino’s return trip to Southampton didn’t go according to plan for Tottenham. Instead of a comfortable victory against a club in the bottom three, Spurs dropped two crucial points in their quest to achieve Champions League qualification.
Some might claim it was a harsh result for Spurs given Davinson Sanchez’s own goal, but the truth it was precisely what the squad deserved. Tottenham headed into the match without Hugo Lloris and Christian Eriksen and the club clearly missed their maturity on the pitch. Tottenham struggled to put Southampton under any appreciable pressure for long stretches.
The defending wasn’t much better. Sanchez was unlucky to guide the ball into his own net, but the back line never looked really comfortable during the match. Of course, the complete ineptitude of Spurs’ defensive midfield pairing of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele certainly contributed to back four’s lack of quality.
Tottenham could easily have nicked all three points in the match’s closing moments, but that would not have been a fair result. Spurs went home with the one point they deserved. Read on to discover which players were most at fault for the listless display.
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<h2><em>Eric Dier-4.5</em></h2>
<p>For as bad as Dembele was, Dier managed to make him look a bit better by his own putrid play. The English international was extremely fortunate not to be hauled off the pitch by Pochettino.</p>
<p>If his manager truly believes he has the ability to become a world-class centre back, perhaps it’s time to move him there full-time. He’s looked lost in the midfield for most of the season. Dier was a complete passenger in this one. The sooner he gets a rest on the bench, the better off his team will be.</p>
<h2><em>Victor Wanyama-6</em></h2>
<p>I can only assume that Wanyama’s fitness levels aren’t up to a return to the starting XI. He is clearly a more effective player than either Dembele or Dier at this point in the year.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Kenyan destroyer only got a late match cameo in this one. He took one ridiculous shot from distance, but otherwise he really helped Spurs get a foothold in the midfield. There’s a reason Spurs were able to produce several quality scoring opportunities late in the match. Wanyama gave his attackers a base to work from. He needs to return to the starting XI immediately.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur evades Mario Lemina of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2><em>Dele Alli-6</em></h2>
<p>No Tottenham player missed Christian Eriksen more than Dele. Without his Danish teammate, he was forced to carry the load as Spurs’ only number ten and he failed to get the job done.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Dele simply can’t continue to give the ball away so frivolously. I realize he can pull off amazing tricks with the ball at his feet, but he needs to make the easy play more often. It’s not a lack of effort by the precocious Englishman, but Pochettino needs to help him make the game easier.</p>
<p>On the flipside, you can’t fault Dele’s work rate in this match. He tracked back for several crucial challenges against the Saints. You have to remember Dele is still a relatively inexperienced player. Pochettino will help him get back on track.</p>
<h2><em>Moussa Sissoko-5.5</em></h2>
<p>It might be in everyone’s best interest if Sissoko is sold sooner rather than later. Clearly Pochettino sees something in his training, but the Frenchman can’t replicate his practice performances in actual matches.</p>
<p>He wasn’t horrible in this match, but he just doesn’t make enough happen to justify his place in the squad. Sissoko is too much of a passenger to play for such a good Tottenham side. He plays hard, but he lacks the talent and aptitude for the game to thrive at Spurs.</p>
<h2><em>Heung-Min Son-5</em></h2>
<p>Everyone likes to celebrate Son when he scores goals, but the truth is he doesn’t provide Spurs much else. He didn’t contribute much at all in this match. He troubled Southampton occasionally on the counter, but failed to produce any sort of tangible result.</p>
<p>That’s precisely why Pochettino made him the first player off the pitch. Some questioned the decision since Spurs desperately needed a goal, but I applaud Pochettino for requiring his attacking players to be true two-way contributors.</p>
<h2><em>Erik Lamela-5.5</em></h2>
<p>Many people argued that Lamela should have started this match instead of Sissoko. His brief appearance on the pitch seemed to back those statements up. Lamela repeatedly found himself on the ball in dangerous areas. He easily could have been the hero in this one, but it just didn’t come off for him.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur (10) celebrates as he scores their first goal during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2><em>Harry Kane-6.5</em></h2>
<p>Kane gets credit for scoring a crucial goal for his team, but he also missed a golden opportunity to steal all three points in extra time. Overall it was a pretty average performance for Europe’s best striker.</p>
<p>He too, was hurt by his midfielder’s laughable display. Time and time against Kane was forced to drop into his own half to receive the ball. He simply isn’t fast enough to do that and run back to trouble the back line in a quick fashion. When he’s forced to drop deep, it’s a sure sign that Spurs attack is struggling.</p>
<h2><em>Michel Vorm-7</em></h2>
<p>Tottenham may have missed Lloris’ mental impact on the match, but Vorm played perfectly fine as his replacement. If not for Sanchez’s own goal he could have easily come away with a well-deserved clean sheet.</p>
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