Tottenham player ratings at Stoke: Eriksen bails out sloppy Spurs

 Victor Wanyama-6

I was excited to see the Kenyan destroyer back in the starting XI, but it wasn’t a great deal for Wanyama. He didn’t have any horrible errors, but he didn’t really contribute much for his side either.

It’s a bit troubling that Wanyama and Mousa Dembele don’t seem to play their best football with one another. Pochettino will need to find a way to increase their comfort level if he wants to pair them together moving forward. Wanyama was passable in this match, but nothing more.

Mousa Dembele-8

Dembele certainly didn’t look like a player concerned about a contract extension. He put in another really solid effort for Pochettino in the middle of the pitch. The Belgian’s ability to win the ball and carry it through traffic is marvelous to watch.

You can always nitpick Dembele’s inability to carry the ball into the final third, but we have to accept he simply isn’t going to do that at this point in his career. The key with Dembele is to focus on what he can do, not what he chooses to avoid. He did a terrific job bringing up Stoke’s attacks in this match. That’s precisely what Pochettino expects from him.