Tottenham Hotspur fell to a narrow home defeat to Manchester City last night as they were repeatedly undone by the reigning Premier League champions.
The hosts were fortunate that their net had only been breached once going into the interval. A disjointed outfit was being picked apart by a City team hungry to make amends after their recent poor form.
Jeremy Doku frequently breezed past the opposition defenders at will and created the only goal of the contest. The Belgian trickster found the returning Erling Haaland unmarked in the middle and the Norwegian clinically tapped past Guglielmo Vicario.
In the second period, Ange Postecoglou’s players were much improved and the introduction of Dejan Kulusevski, Heung-min Son and Djed Spence contributed to the upheaval.
However, their dominant spell didn’t yield an equaliser and the visitors reassumed control of proceedings. In stoppage-time, Haaland thought he had doubled his tally for the evening with a delicate chip.
In a confusing turn of events, a lengthy VAR check eventually confirmed Jarred Gillet’s on-field decision of no goal for a handball offence.
There was still time in the match for a last-gasp chance for Pape Matar Sarr, but the Senegalese international couldn’t readjust in the dying embers to restore parity. The referee then blew the full-time whistle which sealed Tottenham’s fate; a 14th league defeat of a miserable campaign.
With a crucial Europa League knockout tie against AZ Alkmaar looming, Postecoglou will be determined to make sure any issues that arose tonight are quickly ironed out. Here’s what we learnt from tonight.
Djed Spence has become indispensable
For the sake of freshness and squad rotation, the Spurs manager opted to name Spence amongst the substitutes. It was a logical decision to make – Pedro Porro had been rested on the weekend against Ipswich and Destiny Udogie needed to build up his match fitness after a period out injured. But sometimes logic doesn’t always point you in the correct direction.
Spence has emphatically proven his value over the last few weeks. In all three of Spurs’ successive wins over Brentford, Manchester United and Ipswich Town, the full-back was named Player of the Match. That is an incredible feat for any individual, let alone a right-back playing on his weaker side.
His attributes make him a formidable opponent for even the most talented of forwards and he was sorely missed tonight for Tottenham. Porro was run ragged by the speed and directness of Jeremy Doku while Udogie looked vulnerable at times. Spence’s introduction midway through the second period lifted the mood around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the home faithful cheering his entrance. The Englishman’s recent performances have made him a fan favourite in N17 and may caught the attention of newly appointed England manager Thomas Tuchel.
The truth is Spence has become indispensable. His qualities are integral to the way Spurs approach matches. The full-back’s athleticism is crucial when defending transitions and his ability to protect the ball helps retain possession. Tonight indicated what can happen when Spence isn’t in the starting eleven. During the remainder of the campaign, Postecoglou isn’t likely to make that same mistake in an important game again.
Sarr is a shadow of his former self
Last year, Pape Matar Sarr was being lauded as one of the Premier League’s brightest young starlets. He was described as industrious, imposing and a classic throwback to the all-encompassing midfielders of a previous generation.
But this term, you can’t help but feel he’s regressed. Sarr is one of a select few in the squad that hasn’t been blighted by injuries recently, yet still looks compromised. You could argue that he’s simply fatigued from the constant demand of the schedule, but that isn’t the reality.
The 22-year-old started the first six games of the calendar year, but in the following six games he hasn’t started one.
Sarr entered the fray with 20 minutes remaining last night and stood out for all the wrong reasons. In his brief appearance, the Senegalese picked up a needless booking for a petulant foul and missed a glorious opportunity to equalise with virtually the last touch of the evening.
Heung-min Son flicked Porro’s cross into Sarr’s direction, but the former Metz man somehow couldn’t direct the ball goalward from a few yards out. In fairness, he had very little time to react, but fine margins like that separate the good players from the great.
A guaranteed starter before, Sarr has noticeably fallen down the pecking order. He’ll have to improve to win that place back.
Mathys Tel is yet to acclimatise to English football
The loan capture of highly-rated Mathys Tel on deadline day of the January window was considered a serious coup for Tottenham Hotspur.
Tel had several suitors and after initially dismissing the offer to move to North London, the teenager eventually chose to make the switch.
The Bayern Munich loanee was thrown into the deep end and made his debut at Anfield in a 4-0 loss to Liverpool.
Spurs were also defeated by Aston Villa a few days later. However, there was a glimmer of positivity to take from the display as Tel grabbed a late consolation to get off the mark for his new club.
Since that goal, the Frenchman has been largely ineffective. His performances against Manchester United, Ipswich and Manchester City have all merged into one amalgamation of anonymity. Tel was chasing shadows for the majority of those contests and, putting it harshly, Tottenham simply looked better when he wasn’t on the pitch.
Now, this isn’t writing off the 19-year-old. Far from it. There’s clearly potential just waiting to be unlocked.
But, it’s pertinent to mention that his acclimatisation to English football hasn’t gone smoothly.
The silver lining of Tottenham’s disastrous league position is that Postecoglou can continue to offer Tel minutes with no real jeopardy attached. The sole focus should now purely be on winning the Europa League. Not only would it put an end to Tottenham’s trophy drought, but it would also see the club qualify for the Champions League. And at this rate, the Lilywhites will be lucky to scrape Conference League qualification through their league positioning.
Lucas Bergvall is growing in confidence
Bergvall’s development is fascinating to watch with the teenager growing from a boy into a man right before our eyes. The Swede’s last two performances, against Ipswich and City have been his best in a Spurs shirt since he joined from boyhood club Djurgarden.
Last night he took the responsibility of driving his side up the pitch with purposeful darting forays forward. With every passing minute, his confidence increases, which is personified by his elegant feints and inventive footwork. The most exciting thing is that he is still only 19 and is far from the finished product. If he fulfils his potential and continues on this upward trajectory, we could be looking at one of the sport’s finest midfielders.
As part of his journey towards complete maturity, Bergvall must become more disciplined. Far too often this season he has given away a cheap free-kick or received a silly booking. Time will undoubtedly eradicate these minor issues.