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Player ratings from Tottenham road win over Aston Villa

By Aaron Coe

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Carlos Vinicius of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his teams first goal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on March 21, 2021 in Birmingham, England. Sporting stadiums around England remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Carlos Vinicius of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his teams first goal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on March 21, 2021 in Birmingham, England. Sporting stadiums around England remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham v Aston Villa
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: Matty Cash of Aston Villa clears the ball whilst under pressure from Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on March 21, 2021 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Tim Keeton – Pool/Getty Images) /

Spurs Defensive Ratings

Tottenham lined up with a different back four, as Toby Alderweireld and Serge Aurier were absent via illness from the side. In their place, José Mourinho brought seldom used, young defenders Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga into the side. Both defenders were sound but the takeaway for Tottenham may be the loss of left-back Sergio Reguilón again to injury.

Sergio Reguilón – 6.5

The Spaniard got the call over Ben Davies after Davies got the call midweek in Zagreb. Sergio Reguilón had some nice touches in the first half and was looking bright out on the left managing three crosses. Received a hard stomp on his right foot in the second half and limped on for a few minutes before going down and being taken off for Ben Davies. Reguilón is the better attacking option but has not been all that available in 2021 missing several matches with injuries with more potentially more absences coming.

Joe Rodon – 7.5

Joe Rodon had a relatively quiet afternoon, which is actually a good thing for a defender. Rodon was the only Tottenham defender to not foul a Villa player and managed to lead the team with two interceptions. Was a bit shaky on the ball at times but was always in the right position defensively. A solid outing next to Sanchez and in support of two different left-backs.

Davinson Sanchez – 6

Davinson Sanchez was probably Tottenham’s worst defender on the day. He was not terrible, but his three fouls all created opportunities that were simply unnecessary. Not quite the clean play we have seen when playing next to Toby Alderweireld. However, when you consider it was Sanchez leading the backline between Tanganga and Rodon, he did well overall. Was aggressive in the tackle and led everyone with nine clearances.

Japhet Tanganga – 7.5

Japhet Tanganga was possibly the most assured of all the Spurs defenders on the afternoon. Tanganga had a couple of different times where he actually dribbled a bit. One time was to just attack the space to get the defense to commit as one is taught to do. The other time was to wiggle out of a bit of pressure from Villa. Had a couple of nice blocks and several clearances. Should at minimum have moved ahead of Matt Doherty in the right-back pecking order.