Tottenham Player Ratings – Lloris, Ndombele Strong v Chelsea
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur were good defensively and just not quite clinical enough offensively to take all three points at Chelsea, so who did what in the 0-0 draw?
Tottenham Hotspur had some solid play at times in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening. Hugo Lloris had one nice save and another good moment, while Joe Rodon was solid throughout in his full Premier League debut. However, the best player on the pitch at least for the first half was no doubt Tanguy Ndombele. So how did everyone rate for Spurs int eh match that kept Tottenham top of table?
Hugo Lloris – 7.5
Hugo Lloris did not have a ton to do on the afternoon, but he made no mistakes with what he had. Calmly behind the first shot on target just two minutes into the match. Lloris was not asked to make another save for over an hour. On 81 minutes, a deflected shot from Mason Mount was headed for the corner, but Lloris got down well and got a strong hand on the ball to push it past the post. Lloris did have one almost wobble as he failed to claim one long cross, but Spurs were able to recover defensively and not give up anything from it. Lloris must feel good about three straight shutouts and four in five for Spurs.
Sergio Reguilón – 7
Sergio Reguilón battled throughout the match, but it was his side of the pitch that posed the most problems for Spurs. Reguilón and Bergwijn were routinely outnumbered on the right by a Ziyech, Kovacic, James overload. The stress was intentional for Spurs, as Mourinho choose to keep Højbjerg more central rather than push his wider to provide more support to Reguilón and Bergwijn. The result was a slightly ragged performance from the young Spaniard, but he did his job and pushed enough on the offensive end to relieve some pressure from time-to-time for Spurs.
Eric Dier – 7
Eric Dier was the quietest of all the Tottenham defenders on the day. The plan for Chelsea was to attack down the wide right and then try to work the ball at Joe Rodon. Fortunately, Spurs were up to the task and Dier was left with mostly clean-up duty. Dier had a couple clearances, won a couple headers, and was never out of position or sorts on the day, leading the line well for Spurs.
Joe Rodon – 8
Joe Rodon was the more active of the two Tottenham center halves, working to step more often to cut the pass into the striker and working to win headers at midfield. For his first full match with the team and first Premier League start, Rodon never looked out of place. Beyond his physical presence on the pitch, he displayed a solid long ball, once hitting Bergwijn perfectly in the chest from more than 40 yards away. One mistake that almost cost a goal, but Giroud did not capitalize and the disaster was averted. A wonderful debut for the young defender.
Serge Aurier – 8
Serge Aurier was up and down the pitch most of the afternoon. Aurier led the team with two shots and managed Spurs only shot on target, forcing a good save from Mendy. Serge fought strong in the air and kept Timo Werner under wraps most of the afternoon. With two tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances, to go with his two shots, Aurier did it all for Spurs on the afternoon.
Moussa Sissoko – 6
Moussa Sissoko was just a bit off the pace all afternoon. It was not a lack of effort as Sissoko was consistently where he needed to be, but just seemed a bit unsure of himself with the ball. His lack of confidence was evident, and he had several loose touches. Did the job defensively, which is why he is most often on the pitch but has certainly given more from an offensive perspective than he did on Sunday.
Pierre Højbjerg – 7
It was an overall quiet afternoon, particularly by Pierre Højbjerg standards for the Dane. Højbjerg’s role was less expansive today as he really worked to keep tabs on both Kovacic and N’Golo Kante in the Chelsea midfield. Højbjerg spent most of this afternoon in the middle third of the pitch either side of midfield and directly in front of Spurs penalty area. The result was less overall impact on the match, but Chelsea also never got a real sniff at goal either, so we will take it.
Tanguy Ndombele – 8
Tanguy Ndombele was without a doubt the best player on the pitch – for either side – in the first half of play. Every time Ndombele got the ball, he was looking to maintain possession and create something for Spurs. Maybe a bit too direct at times, Ndombele put on a dribbling display in the first half, using stepovers, and small touches to wriggle through small spaces. Ndombele also showed a similar style to Mousa Dembele in his ability to use his body to shield off defenders and maintain close body control. Ndombele slowed in the second half but is asked to do a lot as the sole attacking midfielder connecting the defense and attack.
Heung-Min Son – 6.5
Heung-Min Son was active on the day getting more touches than any other attacking player on the pitch for Tottenham. Son also led the team in passing accuracy, completing 94% of his passes. However, the South Korean also lost possession three times – more than any other Spur – and failed to register a shot in the match. Son worked hard defensively and rotated well with his teammates but had a relatively anonymous afternoon.
Steven Bergwijn – 6
Whereas the defensive effort in helping against Kevin De Bruyne was outstanding last weekend, Bergwijn failed to deliver a similar performance this weekend. Again, stuck mostly with defensive duties, helping Sergio Reguilón as Pierre Højbjerg stayed mostly inside. Bergwijn spent as much time tracking back as he did run forward. Had a nice opportunity in the first half but shot well over. Was at the point of attack for a while in the second half but failed to provide the kind of physical presence that was needed to fluster Chelsea defensively. Worked hard, just not nearly as effective as last week.
Harry Kane – 6.5
Kane played some as a striker and some as a #10 on the afternoon. Did okay distributing the ball and managed to spring Spurs forward a couple of times with some nice switches of play. Wasted a first half free kick with an effort that was never going in. Had a few nice passes, but no real sight of goal on the afternoon.
Giovani Lo Celso – 5
Giovani Lo Celso came in for the last 30 minutes for Tanguy Ndombele and his impact was minimal this week. Seeing Lo Celso on the pitch today I am curious how much he was watching the match. Trying a little chip to Moussa Sissoko – who was clearly not having a great day – demonstrated a real lack of awareness for how things were proceeding in the game. Gio had a lovely chance late on in the match but struck the ball so poorly his effort was not even counted officially as a shot. Just off the pace today, but Ndombele was tiring, so Mourinho had no choice.
Ben Davies – N/A
Came on in the last minute of regular time for Steven Bergwijn, showing everyone Mourinho was most interested in leaving the day with the point. Davies never touched the ball in his 5 minutes or so of action.
Lucas Moura – N/A
Lucas Moura came on two minutes into stoppage time for Heung-Min Son. Moura almost had a moment of magic when he intercepted a poor pass from Kurt Zouma and played the ball to Lo Celso open in the middle of the park. Lo Celso missed so the moment was gone, but it makes one wonder what might have been had Moura been given a few more minutes to run about.
José Mourinho – 7
On a day when much of the play was average so was the overall game plan and ambition shown by José Mourinho. This was a game there for the taking and Mourinho failed to act. While the point and holding first place is nice, three points could have been had with a bit more offensive thrust, as Chelsea never really threated. Bringing on Davies when Chelsea would not have scored in 3 hours of play today was just a bit too conservative for our taste at HotspurHQ.
Should Tottenham fail to grab the title by a couple points, not going for it at Stamford Bridge might be as hurtful as the late dropped points to Newcastle or West Ham. Ultimately, we were all left waiting for a counter punch from Spurs that never came. Of course, if Tottenham win the title by 1 point in the end, wow is José Mourinho the smartest guy ever, guess we should try to be only so greedy here.