Tottenham analysis: Serge Aurier may be too dumb for Spurs
Tottenham have a tough call to make this summer
Serge Aurier may be a brilliant mathematician or philosopher, but he’s clearly not the brightest football player on the planet. The Tottenham right back has already managed to giveaway three penalties this season in a moderate amount of playing time. That reality will leave Mauricio Pochettino and company with a difficult decision to make this summer.
The Spurs brain trust has to decide whether or not Aurier is a smart enough player to continue on as a key player of the Tottenham squad. The Ivory Coast star clearly has the physical gifts required to thrive under Pochettino, but the mental side of his game leave sa lot to be desired.
His latest penalty against Brighton yesterday was a great example of his mental shortcomings. There was no need for him to step on Jose Izquierdo’s foot in the box. He had plenty of support playing alongside him. There’s no guarantee the Brighton star would have even been able to get a shot off in all that traffic. Instead of trusting his defending teammates or keeper Hugo Lloris, Aurier panicked and gifted Brighton their only goal of the match.
It’s not the first time he’s appeared to be a mental midget this year. He was sent off in ridiculous fashion against West Ham earlier this year which almost cost his club dearly. Aurier has made countless other risky challenges that have either given the opposition dangerous scoring opportunities or helped Spurs narrowly avoid trouble. The point here is, he takes too many unnecessary risks on the pitch to be an above average Premier League fullback.
We must acknowledge the possibility that Pochettino can improve Aurier’s decision-making ability. He will have significant time to work with him this summer. A full offseason (minus the World Cup) could do wonders for Aurier’s comfort on the pitch for Spurs. This isn’t a development I find overly likely, but it’s at least possible.
Tottenham can’t count on that sort of growth from Aurier though. If they head into next season with just Aurier and Kieran Trippier at right back, they’re going to end up seeing a lot more of Kyle Walker-Peters than they plan on.
Next: Tottenham eyeing West Ham star to replace Dembele
The bottom line here is that Aurier may be too dumb to play for Tottenham. That isn’t a mean or racist statement, it’s just an obvious truth. It’s an issue Spurs must address one way or another this summer.