5 Tottenham lessons from the West Ham loss

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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 28: Nacer Chadli of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his goal with Christian Eriksen during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City at White Hart Lane on February 28, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

4. Nacer Chadli is not a starter

Like Son, Nacer Chadli has a role to play for Tottenham’s current team. That role just isn’t as a member of the starting 11.

Chadli can be a terrific impact substitute. He has a unique ability to score a goal out of seemingly nothing that is invaluable late in matches. Unfortunately, he tends to contribute the same amount in 15 minutes off the bench as he does in 70 minutes as a starter.

I must confess that every time I am poised to give up on Chadli entirely, he comes up with a huge goal. That should bode extremely well for the upcoming North London Derby.

I thought the Belgian attacker was atrocious as a starter against West Ham. His back pass led to the corner that ultimately gave West Ham their goal. What made matters worse for Chadli is that he was also responsible for marking Michail Antonio who lost him to head in the winner. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Chadli was at fault for conceding the corner and giving up the goal. Not good contribution for an attacking midfielder that provided nothing going forward.

Chadli might not have a long-term future at Spurs, but he’s going to be the club’s second choice at striker for the remainder of this season. Pochettino needs to make sure that his only appearances for the club come from off the bench.

Next: 3. Mousa Dembele is a big miss

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