Tottenham player ratings at Swansea: Dele loves the boos
Dele Alli-8
It wasn’t Dele’s best match in a Spurs kit, but he did manage to kill the game off in the closing moments. Even before then, his constant movement with and without the ball at his feet served to give Swansea’s defense fits.
Some may say he went down too easily, but I didn’t see anything too noteworthy. His actions did cause Swansea fans to boo him at every touch. That spurred Dele on to a terrific second half. Without his poise on the ball, things could have gone awry for Spurs.
Erik Lamela-6.5
It wasn’t the glorious return to the starting XI that Lamela would have dreamt of, but he did put in a solid shift for Pochettino. His quick passing of the ball and constant movement allowed Spurs to dominate possession for long stretches.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
The downside for Lamela’s match is that he couldn’t muster a single clear scoring chance. When he gets a chance to see that much of the ball, he simply has to produce something tangible. He didn’t, and that’s why Pochettino took him off in the second half.
Heung-Min Son-5.5
I mentioned on Twitter that Son is Tottenham’s most selfish player. For the record, that can be a positive or a negative for Spurs. Unfortunately, today it turned into a real negative.
Son’s work rate was satisfactory, but he just didn’t have it today. When he ran at defenders he inevitably got the ball stuck under his feet. When he had a chance to control the ball from an aerial pass he let it go out of play. Son was fortunate to finish this match, but there will be better days ahead for the talented Korean.
Moussa Sissoko-5.5
Sissoko was Pochettino’s last substitute and he wasn’t given a ton of time to make a real impact. He did do a nice job of settling the game down and giving Spurs more of a foothold in the midfield. It was a decent enough job by the Frenchman, but nothing special.