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Top 5 Tottenham v Middlesbrough matchups

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham shakes the hand of manager Mauricio Pochettino during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images )
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham shakes the hand of manager Mauricio Pochettino during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images ) /
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DERBY, ENGLAND – MARCH 17: George Friend of Middlesbrough celebrates as Patrick Bamford of Middlesbrough is congratulated by team mates behind during the Sky Bet Championship match between Derby County and Middlesbrough at iPro Stadium on March 17, 2015 in Derby, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
DERBY, ENGLAND – MARCH 17: George Friend of Middlesbrough celebrates as Patrick Bamford of Middlesbrough is congratulated by team mates behind during the Sky Bet Championship match between Derby County and Middlesbrough at iPro Stadium on March 17, 2015 in Derby, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

Kyle Walker vs. George Friend

Quietly, George Friend has been one of the best left backs in the Premier League through five matches. He’s not quite Danny Rose, but his Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.28 is very impressive for a player with such a limited reputation.

Unfortunately for Friend, he’s going to have to compete against Kyle Walker this weekend. The Spurs right back has been even better through the first five matches of the season. With Tottenham enjoying long stretches of possession, he’s going to have more than his share of runs at Friend.

For Middlesbrough to “win” this matchup, Friend just needs to avoid getting embarrassed. It’s highly unlikely he’s going to beat Walker going forward, he just needs to keep the English right back from slicing him up in his own defensive third.

That’s a pretty tall task for Friend. He’s going to need to stay calm, and stay at home if he intends to neutralize Walker in the slightest.

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