Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City last night, putting an end to their three-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Erling Haaland’s first-half strike was enough to secure all three points for Pep Guardiola’s side, with Ange Postecoglou needing to pick his side up after a 14th league defeat of the campaign.
The result leaves the Lilywhites down in 13th place with just 11 games remaining, needing a miracle to restore any pride after what has been a year to forget in North London.
Over recent weeks, Ange has seen numerous players return to first-team action after their respective injury lay-offs, offering the Aussie the squad depth he’s so desperately been craving.
However, he rotated his side for the visit of the defending champions, with numerous players failing to impress during the defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs’ disappointing performers against Man City
Winger Brennan Johnson started the clash with Pep’s men last night, maintaining his place in the eleven after making his first start in a month against Ipswich Town at the weekend.
However, the Welshman would fail to build on his two-goal display against the Tractor Boys, lucky to feature for the entirety of the contest after his ineffective display which saw him register just a single effort on goal.
He also only completed 50% of his attempted dribbles, creating just one chance for his teammates, in what was a toothless showing from the 23-year-old.
Pedro Porro was also handed a recall against City, but like Johnson, failed to capitalise on the opportunity handed his way unable to back Postecoglou’s call of starting him over Djed Spence.
The 25-year-old often struggled to get to grips with winger Jeremy Doku, easily getting shrugged off by the Belgian at one stage and unable to offer a real threat in attacking areas, completing just a single dribble.
However, despite the performances of the aforementioned duo, one other player failed to deliver last night, potentially putting his place in the side at risk ahead of the club’s next outing.
The Spurs player who dropped a 4/10 against City
After such an injury crisis over the last few months, it was inevitable that Spurs would have to bolster in January, with Ange doing just that with centre-back Kevin Danso joining from Lens.
The Austrian has since started every game at the heart of the backline, completing 81 passes in the defeat last night, the most of any player on the pitch - showcasing his positive impact after his move.
However, another January addition in the form of Mathys Tel was unable to produce a performance to remember against City, struggling in large periods to make an impact.
The Frenchman featured for 66 minutes of the meeting, only managing to register a total of 12 touches, a tally fewer than that of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who achieved a total of 39.
The 19-year-old also only completed four passes, whilst failing to complete any of his two attempted dribbles - coming out on the losing side of 75% of the duels he entered.
Tel was subsequently replaced by Dejan Kulusevski with just over 20 minutes to go as the hosts looked to restore parity, but the lack of attacking threat was evident throughout, with the manager making the right call in withdrawing the loanee.
As a result of his dismal showing, Tel was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by journalist Dan Kilpatrick, with one analyst dubbing his showing as “anonymous”.
Given his lack of impact, Ange could look to replace the youngster ahead of next week’s Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar, which appears to be the Lilywhites’ final shot of securing a trophy this season.
If they are to stand a chance of getting through to the next stage, a win in the away leg will be vital, with Postecoglou needing to consider other options after Tel’s struggles last night.