Tottenham’s Yedlin Unbalanced in Dominant US Win

For better or for worse, Tottenham full-back DeAndre Yedlin lived up to expectations in the United States’ 4-0 over Costa Rica on Tuesday.

A loan move to Sunderland this past season proved Yedlin was capable of playing at the Premier League level, but that might not necessarily mean that he’s ready to return to the fold at Tottenham. Tuesday night’s match against Costa Rica perfectly illustrated why.

First, a disclaimer here. We here at HotsputHQ are well aware that perhaps a disproportionate amount of attention is played to Tottenham’s current third choice right-back. Why care so much about how Yedlin develops this summer and beyond?

The most obvious answer is that HotspurHQ, being based in the United States, has a vested interest of sorts with seeing members of the US men’s national team advance, particularly at excellent teams like Tottenham.

More importantly, though, is the fact that Yedlin is a legitimately exciting player, even if he still has some growing to do. Prior to making the move to England, he was one of the most electric players in any position in Major League Soccer, and his relatively few moments at the 2014 World Cup made a good many people believe he was worthy of a bigger spotlight.

While Tottenham haven’t yet given such a spotlight to him, US coach Jürgen Klinsmann possesses no qualms about doing so. Even as the US squad rotated around him, Yedlin remained a relative constant. 

More from Copa America

• Copa Semifinal to Pit Tottenham Against Tottenham
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• USMNT Advance to Semis with Tottenham’s Yedlin Returning
• USMNT Advance But Tottenham’s Yedlin Suspended
• Tottenham’s Yedlin: U.S. Must Play Better Against Costa Rica

And it’s easy to see why: he is lightning-quick, capable of playing in attack, wide midfield and full-back, all over the course of 90 minutes. He’s as versatile and game-changing a player as the US has at its disposal.

The problem — and what might ultimately keep him out of any future Tottenham squad — is that he doesn’t seem to be able to read the game well enough to know what mode he should be in at any given moment. While he was an asset for the United States in attack against Costa Rica, sending in the cross that would earn the early penalty that got the 4-0 win rolling, time and time again he was exposed in defense.

Costa Rica knew what they were up against with Yedlin and, to a lesser extent, Fabian Johnson on the opposite flank. They overloaded both wide areas, their wingers and full-backs coordinating to create situations where both attack-oriented full-backs would forget to cover the space they left in behind them. Though Costa Rica clearly never made much progress even with the space afforded to them by Yedlin, the Tottenham full-back’s flank was consistently the weakest point in the US defense.

That deficiency has plagued Yedlin since the very beginning. He’s more wing-back than full-back, and consequently asks a lot of his teammates whenever he’s in the side. Centre-backs need to play wider, midfielders need to cover when he rushes forward, and attackers need to learn to track back.

For some systems that’s acceptable, even preferable. Just look at Dani Alves’ whole career. Tottenham ask more of their full-backs, however. Mauricio Pochettino needs two-way players on his flanks, players like Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Ben Davies and (to a lesser extent) Kieran Trippier.  It’s the only way that Tottenham can create such a reliable defensive base atop which Pochettino’s pressing game can be implemented safely and effectively.

Next: Tottenham's Yedlin: The US Must Play Better Against Costa Rica

If Yedlin expects to break his way into Tottenham on the back of performances like the one on Tuesday, he should not be surprised if he’s sent out on loan again next season or sold outright.