Tottenham Man of the Match: Toby Alderweireld

Several Tottenham players added plenty of footage to their career highlight reels in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, but one player stood out the most.

That player, of course, was Harry Kane. The Tottenham striker dismantled Dortmund, scoring two goals on the night and setting up the third.

As exceptional as Kane was though, his efforts would likely haven’t counted for nearly as much if it weren’t for some equally savvy play behind him — specifically that of one man: Toby Alderweireld.

Mauricio Pochettino set out perhaps his most dramatic tactical shift to date, a daring plan that we will cover in much more depth in future pieces.

Suffice it to say for now though that Pochettino’s system was very much about nullifying Dortmund’s advantages. Tottenham sat back, absorbed pressure and waited for their chances on the break.

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All of which required some very finely tuned organization, involving a back five augmented by the efforts of a tight four-man midfield. Without their usual high press creating space in and around them, Spurs looked the part of a reinforced stone wall, one in which Dortmund’s finest armament struggled to blast down.

Even an injury-ravaged Dortmund were always going to find some chances. Often though, when they either slipped through Spurs’ offside trap or patiently worked the ball into the final third, Alderweireld was there as the last best line of defense in the outfield.

One could list half a dozen ways Alderweireld stands out in any given match. His positioning is immaculate, ideal for Tottenham’s typically adventurous high-line. Those long-balls he launches in transition have a way of opening up opposition defenses from the far end of the pitch. His presence on the pitch has a way of making those around him look significantly better.

On Wednesday though, it was his technical ability that stood out. There are few centre-backs in modern football who can strip away possession from the feet of an opposing forward as fluidly as Alderweireld. He did this a hand full of times on Wednesday, most notably against Christian Pulisic as the young American threatened Hugo Lloris’ goal.

What makes Alderweireld’s close game particularly impressive is that he regularly does this without incurring the wrath of the referee. He committed only one foul on Wednesday, a habit that bears out over the course of his whole career. On average he commits less than one foul every other game for Tottenham, per WhoScored.

Next: Spurs 3-1 Dortmund: Pochettino's post-match point of view

His penchant for avoiding yellow cards — he only earned one in all of last season’s Premier League season — only adds to his value as Tottenham’s last man.

Alderweireld already stood out as perhaps one of the best all-round centre-backs in English football. The one man show he put on in Wednesday’s clash at Wembley should only elevate him even higher.