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Fansided

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, Tanguy Ndombele
Aston Villa’s Scottish midfielder John McGinn (L) tackles Tottenham Hotspur’s French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele (C) during the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England on March 21, 2021. Photo by TIM KEETON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Tottenham Midfield Ratings

Not sure if the midfield was a 2-2, a flat-four, or something else entirely, as the combination was not one normally seen by Spurs. With Carlos Vinicius in the starting line-up up top, the Spurs were essentially in some modified version of a 4-4-2 with the backs of course pushing up squeezing everyone inside. So how did the quarter of players play for Spurs?

Lucas Moura – 8.5

Lucas Moura was the best player on the night for Tottenham. It was Moura who was often first to the critical second ball, which can either protect the defense or generate an attack. On this night, Moura’s play did a bit of both. Those same second balls Spurs were losing the last two matches, Moura refused to let go and it paid dividends for Tottenham on the night.

Tanguy Ndombele – 7.5

Tanguy Ndombele was very key in Tottenham’s ability to maintain possession against a very aggressive Villa press. Ndombele was looking to often beat his first man and then find someone with the pass. Was accurate in his passing even with all his dribbling about and stepping over on the ball was only dispossessed once the entire match. Came off late, but played hard when he was on the field.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6.5

The Dane was all over the pitch as per the norm for Tottenham on Sunday. However, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg continues to miss tackles, chase the ball, and make too many poor passes. Particularly in the first half, Villa was able to pass around Højbjerg who was a step late to everything. In the second half, Pierre was a bit more composed off the ball and spent more time attacking it and less time chasing it. The Dane is good but Spurs have been far too dependent on him this season and it has shown.

Giovani Lo Celso – 6

Giovani Lo Celso had a few moments on the evening where he was able to move the ball and push Spurs forward. Overall, however, it was a frustrating evening for the Argentine who really never got going for the Lilywhites. Was replaced by Steven Bergwijn at 66 minutes and things opened up more for Tottenham after. This was mostly because Bergwijn tends to stay wide, whereas Lo Celso, like Moura, drifts more centrally, thus lacked any real space to play his game.