Tottenham player ratings at Manchester City: Centre backs star for Spurs

Tottenham’s draw against Manchester City may have come against the run of play, but several Spurs stars put in terrific performances. 

Mauricio Pochettino will never admit it publicly, but he was thoroughly satisfied with earning a single point at Manchester City. That result should look better and better as the season progresses. Not many of Spurs’ competitors will manage to earn a draw at The Etihad.

That doesn’t mean Pochettino will be overjoyed with his team’s performance. Spurs made life entirely too comfortable for Manchester City’s star-studded midfield. Tottenham deserve credit for their clinical finishing, but they didn’t create nearly enough chances during the match.

As you might expect, the level of ratings for each player will be pretty uneven. Some Tottenham stars should be encouraged while others may face Pochettino’s wrath on the training ground this week.

Harry Kane-5

It’s hard to remember a more anonymous match from England’s top centre forward. He didn’t get any quality service, but his hold-up play really wasn’t good enough to earn Spurs a foothold in this match. Kane dropped deeper in the second half to increase his involvement, but it’s hard to point to anything concrete that accomplished.

Erik Lamela-7

Lamela’s sumptuous finish drew Tottenham back on level terms after Raheem Sterling opened the game’s scoring. He wasn’t able to get much else going outside that one moment of brilliance, but his work rate was excellent as usual. The Argentine certainly made a case that he should stay in the starting XI for the foreseeable future.

Christian Eriksen-4.5

As good as Eriksen was during the Villa match, he was just as poor against City. His lack of physicality in the midfield contributed massively to Tottenham’s inability to transition the ball forward. It wasn’t necessarily a lack of effort from the talented Dane, but there was a serious lack of impact.

Moussa Sissoko-5

Sissoko is the right sort of player to help Tottenham in this type of match, but he failed to make a mark against City’s midfield. In truth, the Frenchman looked to run out of gas relatively early in the match. His questionable work rate may send him to the bench in the coming weeks.

Harry Winks-5

Winks got on the ball intermittently in the first half, but he passed it backwards or sideways nearly every time he touched it. It was no coincidence that Pochettino chose him to be the first starter taken off the pitch. He simply must play more positively to justify his continued presence in the starting XI.

Tanguy Ndombele-7.5

Ndombele was the most effective midfield starter for Pochettino. He didn’t put forth a dominating effort, but he was devastatingly efficient. In particular, his crucial tackles in the second half helped give his defence some much needed respite against the City onslaught. Tottenham’s new signing certainly looked at home against some of the toughest opposition he’ll see all season.