Fewer touches than Vicario: Ange must axe Spurs dud who lost 66% of duels
da pinup bet： Tottenham Hotspur secured their place in the semi-final of the Europa League last night, with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
da premier bet： Dominic Solanke’s first-half penalty was enough for Ange Postecoglou’s side, securing a 2-1 aggregate win after the 1-1 draw in North London last Thursday.
The triumph sets up a last-four clash with Bodo Glimt, moving the Lilywhites one step closer to European glory and potentially putting a superb end to a dismal season.
It certainly was a night to remember, giving a generation of supporters a new high in their time supporting the club, aiming to reach a first European final since 2019.
However, despite the impressive victory, numerous players failed to deliver in Germany, potentially putting their place in the side at huge jeopardy going forward.
Spurs’ poor performers against Eintracht Frankfurt
Winger Mathys Tel has been an inconsistent player to say the least since his January loan move from Bayern Munich, with last night no different for the Frenchman.
The 19-year-old only completed one of the five dribbles he attempted, whilst finding a teammate on just 33% of the times he delivered the ball into the 18-yard box.
He wasn’t the only one who struggled, with Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur looking a shadow of his former self during the victory over Frankfurt.
He featured for the entirety of the contest, but only managed to win 17% of the ground duels he entered, along with getting dribbled past twice as he was unable to make a huge impact on proceedings.
Despite the showings of the aforementioned duo, one other player failed to impress, with boss Postecoglou desperately needing to drop him ahead of Monday’s game with Nottingham Forest.
The Spurs player who needs to be dropped after Frankfurt
Injuries at Spurs have left Postecoglou with limited options at numerous points of the season, undoubtedly having a huge impact on the club’s lowly league standing.
Such an occurrence has allowed numerous players to stake their claim for a regular starting role, taking advantage of an opportunity that often wouldn’t be thrown in their direction.
Lucas Bergvall is arguably the biggest example of the situation, now being a vital member of the side, featuring for the entirety of the win against Frankfurt last night.
However, despite his success, winger Brennan Johnson was unable to have a similar impact, once again struggling to provide a reason as to why the hierarchy paid £47.5m for his signature.
The Welshman featured for 85 minutes before being replaced by Kevin Danso, with Ange opting to see out the result and switch to a back five for the closing stages.
Such a change was inevitable, but the 23-year-old did himself no favours during his time on the pitch, completing just 69% of the passes he attempted, whilst losing possession six times.
He also lost 66% of the duels he entered against the German opposition, whilst managing just 22 touches – a tally less than that of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who registered 45.
Brennan Johnson’s stats for Spurs against Frankfurt
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
85
Touches
22
Passes completed
11/16 (69%)
Duels lost
4/6 (66%)
Possession lost
6x
Shots taken
0
Dribbles completed
0
Stats via Sofascore
As a result of his showing last night, Johnson was handed a measly 6/10 match rating by the London Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick – highlighting how disappointing he was in the triumph.
Given his display, Ange simply has to drop the winger ahead of the clash with his former side, needing to give other players an opportunity to demonstrate their quality.
He’s struggled massively in recent weeks once again, potentially needing to be taken out of the firing line to recapture his early season form in North London.
Related Bigger star than Bergvall & Moore: Spurs have struck gold on "monster" gem
Tottenham Hotspur already have a star who could surpass the levels achieved by Lucas Bergvall & Mikey Moore.
