The first half of Europa League action between Tottenham and AZ has come to a grinding halt in North London, with the neither side in the driving seat at the interval.
Unsurprisingly, Ange Postecoglou named a rotated squad for their third Europa League contest of the campaign so far. Most notably, the Australian omitted Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son as a result of the South Korean feeling ‘a bit sore’ after the weekend. Additionally, Wilson Odobert returns to the squad for the first time since suffering an injury vs Coventry.
Spurs’ third edition of Europa League football this season comes subsequent to an emphatic victory over London rivals West Ham, as the Lilywhites ran riot in a 4-1 win. Postecoglou will be hoping his men can regain momentum off the back of this win with a busy schedule forthcoming.
Today’s visitors will be desperate to end a run of four consecutive losses with what would be a famous win against Premier League opposition. Eredivisie sensation Troy Parrott will be eager to make an impact on his return to N17, having already scored six in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt).
Over the course of the first half, we analysed each Spurs player’s individual performance, rating them on a scale of 1-10.
Spurs’ half time ratings vs AZ Alkmaar
Fraser Forster: Made a fine save just before the half-hour mark at full stretch but that was the only time he was really called upon. 6.
Archie Gray: A bright display from the youngster in the first forty-five as he made an abundance of darting runs , combining well with Mikey Moore on Spurs’ right-hand side. 7.
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Ben Davies: Made plenty of interceptions and was relatively comfortable throughout the first half. 6.
Radu Dragusin: The Romanian stood strong at all times, and was rather composed on the ball. Wasn’t massively troubled, though. 6.
Destiny Udogie: A really exciting first half from Spurs’ left back as the Italian strode forward at will, and was superb on the ball. Unlucky not to create anything from his crosses or infield passes. 8.
Rodrigo Bentancur: Looked comfortable as the deep-lying defensive midfielder throughout. 6.
James Maddison: Acting as the main creative outlet for Spurs today, the Englishman was the liveliest player in the midfield. He received the ball plenty and rarely misplaced a pass. Easily the standout player for Spurs in the opening forty-five. 8.
Lucas Bergvall: An exciting impression made by the Swede as he attempted to create plenty, and fed a beautiful through ball to Werner on 25 minutes. Combined well with Moore on the right hand side and made a few runs into the channel. 7.
Timo Werner: It was an opportunity for Timo to repay the faith shown by Postecoglou as he started yet again. Started the game positively before wasting a huge opportunity after 25 minutes. Missed another chance on the break only 12 minutes later, although this one was less clear-cut. Made a plethora of runs down the left but couldn’t create anything from them. 4.
Richarlison: A return to the starting eleven for Spurs’ number nine. The Brazilian struggled to make any real impact, however. 5.