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Tottenham player ratings at Southampton: Miserable marks for Spurs

By Rucker Haringey

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary's Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary's Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Southampton is foiled by Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Southampton is foiled by Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Mousa Dembele-5

Good or bad, you can usually tell exactly how Dembele will perform after watching him for his first five minutes on the pitch. Unfortunately, he was poor from the opening whistle against Southampton.

It’s fair to wonder whether or not Dembele has enough left in the tank to be a Premier League starter. Coming off of a significant rest in Barcelona, it should have been one of the Belgian’s better matches. Instead, he repeatedly gave the ball away and failed to break up play in the centre of the pitch. It was a very poor match for a proud player.

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Eric Dier-4.5

For as bad as Dembele was, Dier managed to make him look a bit better by his own putrid play. The English international was extremely fortunate not to be hauled off the pitch by Pochettino.

If his manager truly believes he has the ability to become a world-class centre back, perhaps it’s time to move him there full-time. He’s looked lost in the midfield for most of the season. Dier was a complete passenger in this one. The sooner he gets a rest on the bench, the better off his team will be.

Victor Wanyama-6

I can only assume that Wanyama’s fitness levels aren’t up to a return to the starting XI. He is clearly a more effective player than either Dembele or Dier at this point in the year.

Unfortunately, the Kenyan destroyer only got a late match cameo in this one. He took one ridiculous shot from distance, but otherwise he really helped Spurs get a foothold in the midfield. There’s a reason Spurs were able to produce several quality scoring opportunities late in the match. Wanyama gave his attackers a base to work from. He needs to return to the starting XI immediately.

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