Tottenham player ratings: Spurs massacred at Manchester City

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: Harry Winks of Tottenham Hotspur heads the ball while under pressure by Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

Harry Winks-4

It’s hard for me to accurately describe how awful Winks was to give up City’s opening goal. He didn’t move a muscle on the corner kick to keep Ilkay Gundogan from firing a header past Hugo Lloris. In truth, he wasn’t much better during the rest of the match.

The City encounter was a sobering reminder of just how far Winks needs to go before he can be considered a Premier League star. He was a total passenger. Guardiola’s midfield passed around him with ease for the full 90 minutes. Winks will have better days which is good, because playing worse than he did yesterday would be very difficult.

Mousa Dembele-5

Winks can use youth and inexperience as excuses for his poor performance at City. Mousa Dembele has no such excuses to lean on.

He may not have been quite as poor as his young midfield partner, but he was also a non-factor. Dembele did nothing to keep City’s midfield from getting free runs at Tottenham’s back line.

Unfortunately, it may be time for Spurs to admit that Dembele isn’t the midfield stalwart he was even a season ago. Replacing the rapidly deteriorating Belgian should be one of Pochettino’s highest priorities in January.

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