Tottenham player ratings v Newcastle: Harry Kane fails to show up for Spurs
Danny Rose-5.5
Rose recovered from last week’s disastrous performance at City by at least putting in an average showing against Newcastle. His lack of quality in the final third is still astounding for a player with his athletic gifts.
His performance also gets downgraded for failing to help contain Joelinton when he got loose for Newcastle’s only goal. He wasn’t the defender most at fault, but he deserves a significant portion of the blame.
Davinson Sanchez-5
Sanchez is, of course, the player who deserves the most criticism for the match’s only goal. Just as he did against Villa, he was naively caught in no-man’s land when the ball was lobbed easily over his head to set Joelinton through on goal.
The Colombian made a few key defensive plays after that, but his error proved fatal for Spurs. Fans of the North London club will continue to howl for Jan Vertonghen to be restored to his place in the club’s starting XI.
Toby Alderweireld-6.5
Alderweireld did his best to power Tottenham to a result, but in the end, he came up short. Defensively he was his usual solid self. He was able to snuff out several promising Newcastle counter attacks with his excellent positioning.
On the attacking end of the pitch, he was even better. His diagonal passes successfully shifted Steve Bruce’s defence out of position on several occasions. Unfortunately, none of his attacking teammates could make those subtle contributions count.
Kyle Walker-Peters-5.5
Walker-Peters played more like a winger than a fullback before going off with what looked to be a hamstring injury in the second half. He provided Pochettino’s attack much-needed width upon occasion, but he just wasn’t decisive enough to really impact the match.
The obvious question now is who will take his place if he can’t recover in time to face Arsenal. Will Serge Aurier find his way back from the wilderness or will Sissoko shift to the right back position on a more permanent basis?
Hugo Lloris-6
Lloris almost had no bearing on the match. He didn’t have a chance to stop the one shot that made its way past him. He also wasn’t forced into any really difficult stops. Keepers are important in a lot of matches, but not in this one from the Tottenham perspective.
Christian Eriksen-5
Pochettino hoped that Eriksen could reprise his inspirational substitute’s appearance from the opener against Aston Villa. He did help pick up the pace of the Spurs attack, but it’s hard to point out to any actual chance he created. The Dane continues to look as if his heart lies somewhere other than North London.
Giovani Lo Celso-5
Lo Celso got a few minutes of action at City last weekend, but this was really his first opportunity to do anything while Spurs had the ball. He showed a bit of promise, but like Eriksen, failed to produce any concrete chances. He should stay on Pochettino’s bench for the foreseeable future.
Next. Mauricio Pochettino is done with Victor Wanyama. dark
Ben Davies-NA
Davies came on late as Pochettino’s last throw of the dice. The idea was for him to provide an upgrade over Rose’s ability to cross the ball from the left flank. Instead, he continued to show his inability to beat anyone off the dribble. His future at Spurs seems to lie as a central defender.