Tottenham Hotspur finally got back to winning ways in the Premier League this weekend with a 3-1 win over Southampton – a result that relegated the Saints back down to the Championship.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from Tottenham 3-1 Southampton.
Three points but a missed opportunity for Tottenham
It was extremely important for Tottenham Hotspur to get three points on the board on Sunday, not only to climb out of 16th in the Premier League table, but also to go into the Europa League quarter-final with some momentum. After Spurs went 2-0 up at half-time, it felt like there was a real opportunity to grab four or five, heading into the Eintracht Frankfurt clash on a high. However, what followed the half-time break was nothing short of dismal and dull for Tottenham.
Ange Postecoglou opted to make no substitutions, and the players on the pitch opted to sit deep, jog around, and refuse to run for each other on the attack. Yes, they were likely just managing the game and saving energy for Thursday night, but Southampton were there for the taking. It has happened far too often this season that Spurs take their eye off the ball and let lesser teams back into the game. Whatever the situation, that is a bad habit to get into.
Brennan Johnson creates an interesting right-wing debate
For the most part, Tottenham know their strongest possible XI – even if the standard has been low this season. However, with Dejan Kulusevski out injured, the debate between Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert is an interesting one.
The Welshman does far less on the ball and often ghosts in and out of important games, but he is a numbers man. You might not see him for 90 minutes, but he consistently makes those expertly-timed runs into the box for tap-ins created by the left side. What he lacks in creativity and direct attacking with the ball at his feet, he makes up for with goal-scoring timing.
Odobert, on the other hand, is far more willing to take a defender on one-vs-one. The young Frenchman is fearless with the ball at his feet, but is still a very raw talent – far from the finished article. While he is capable of delivering superb performances, he is also prone to inconsistency at times. It is going to be very interesting to see what Postecoglou opts for against Frankfurt on Thursday.
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Mathys Tel is struggling to earn his Tottenham chances
He may have come off the bench to score from the spot today, but Mathys Tel is struggling for chances in North London. You would think that a fixture at home to the worst side in the Premier League just days before the biggest game of the season would be a prime opportunity to rotate and hand Tel a start. However, Postecoglou stuck with Heung-min Son on the left and Dominic Solanke down the middle.
Once again, Tel was only handed a short cameo at the end of the game, coming on in the 87th minute. The only reason he got the penalty in the first place was because Son, Solanke, and Maddison were all off the pitch already. Let us remind you that Spurs paid £8.7m to take Tel on loan and have an option to buy for another £50m. There is no guarantee that Postecoglou will even still be in the job come the summer, so Mathys’ situation really is up in the air.
How can he prove that he’s worth the price tag without a decent chunk of minutes on the pitch?
Micky Van de Ven rested for the big night
One player Postecoglou did decide to rotate out was Micky Van de Ven, who was an unused substitute for Tottenham vs Southampton. With the Dutchman prone to hamstring injuries, and two pivotal fixtures against Eintracht Frankfurt to come, Spurs are clearly keeping him fit for Europe above all else.
I am just surprised that the likes of Djed Spence, Heung-min Son, and Dominic Solanke weren’t given the same treatment today. I would expect to see a heavily-rotated XI against Wolves between the two Europa League fixtures. In fact, fans will be annoyed if Postecoglou doesn’t do that.
Tottenham fan protests are going nowhere
Despite a 3-1 win in the North London sun, Tottenham fans have shown that the protests against Daniel Levy and ENIC show no signs of stopping. Once again, thousands of Spurs fans marched together to protest against the owners before kick-off this afternoon.
The message is clear, supporters want Levy out and new owners in. Even after the second goal went in for Tottenham, fans were quick to use the opportunity to chant ‘we want Levy out’ above all else. Say what you want about Levy, he will not be able to run or hide from the protests this time. They are not going to fizzle out and something has to change.