Analyzing Tottenham’s youth performances against Bayern

Tottenham entered the last fixture of their Champions League campaign locked in second place, and guaranteed qualification enabled manager Jose Mourinho to play an inexperienced starting 11.

Mourinho wanted a look his lesser-used squad members, some of which have played limited minutes, to “get information” about the team he is dealing with.

While many Tottenham fans were disappointed that young Irish star Troy Parrot and promising defender Japhet Tanganga were left on the bench as unused substitutes, we did get a look into the potential next generation of Tottenham Hotspur.

Ryan Sessegnon

Sessegnon revealed during the week that Mourinho had “told him to be a bit more vocal”, and while he still shows a reserved persona, Sessegnon certainly made his presence felt in his first start for Tottenham.

Operating on the left side of Tottenham’s attack, the 19-year-old showed fantastic work rate and desire throughout the match, and took his opportunity with a brilliantly composed strike to beat Manuel Neuer at his near post.  If not for a misplaced cross from Moussa Sissoko, Sessegnon could have found himself with a brace on his full debut.

Tottenham already have a formidable and experienced attacking line-up of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura, which makes it difficult for Sessegnon to break into Mourinho’s plans this season.

On a night which provided underwhelming and lacklustre performances from most Tottenham players, Sessegnon was a bright spark, and his performance showed Mourinho he is a skillful, hard working player who will make the most of his opportunities.

Juan Foyth

Foyth also started his first game under Mourinho alongside Toby Alderweireld in the heart of Tottenham’s defence.

While Spurs’ conceded three goals on the night, as well as a plethora of missed chances, Foyth displayed confidence throughout the evening against a strong Bayern Munich side.

Foyth has commonly been used by Argentina, and recently under Pochettino, as a right-back, however he clearly has the composure to become a starting center back at Tottenham for years to come. Although sometimes he shows too much composure, deciding to dribble out of the back.

Jose Mourinho singled out Foyth’s performance post game, noting “today I learned a lot about Foyth. He didn’t play one minute with me until today but I learned more in this 90 minutes than in two or three weeks of work without playing”.

Mourinho typically deploys a holding midfielder in front of his defensive line, and with Eric Dier not providing the most robust defensive stability in midfield, this may open an opportunity for Foyth to explore a third role as a holding midfielder.

The confidence and willingness to drive forward with the ball, linked with his natural defensive qualities could make Foyth a candidate to push in to the middle of the park. And his flexibility will entice Mourinho.

Kyle Walker-Peters

There were glimpses throughout the evening where Kyle Walker-Peters showed real quality.

Against a very talented Bayern attack, in particulate Serge Gnabry and a rampant Alphonso Davies, Walker-Peters calmly escaped tight situations while maintaining possession. However it was not all easy-going for the left-back.

While Walker-Peters is no slouch, he did struggle to keep up for pace against a lightning-quick Gnabry, and a lack of playing time over the past few seasons seems to have completely sapped his confidence.

Perhaps a loan to a Premier League side is the best option for the 22-year-old, who needs regular minutes to regain consistency.

Oliver Skipp

Skipp replaced Giovanni Lo Celso in the 65th minute in the match, and did not look out of place in midfield.

At just 19 years of age, Skipp is composed on the ball, and showed an abundance of energy as he charged down the opposition throughout his time on the pitch.

Tottenham have a plethora of options in midfield, with Tanguy Ndombele, Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Dier all ahead in the pecking order, but a young Skipp has shown he has the ability to develop into a starting central midfielder from the academy, following Winks’ footsteps.

Much like Walker-Peters, Skipp may benefit from a loan to increase his playing time, which would almost certainly fast-track his development.